Idiosyncratic patterns of local species richness and turnover define global biodiversity hotspots.

Tropical mountains are global biodiversity hotspots, owing to a combination of high local species richness and turnover in species composition. Typically, the highest local richness and turnover levels are implicitly assumed to converge in the same mountain regions, resulting in extraordinary species richness at regional to global scales. We investigated this untested assumption using high-resolution distribution data for all 9,788 bird species found in 134 mountain regions worldwide. Contrary to expectations, the mountain regions with the highest local richness differed from those with the highest species turnover. This finding reflects dissimilarities in the regions' climates and habitat compositions. Forest habitats and humid tropical climates characterize the mountain regions with the highest local richness. In contrast, mountain regions with the highest turnover are generally colder with drier climates and have mostly open habitat types. The highest local species richness and turnover levels globally converge in only a few mountain regions with the greatest climate volumes and topographic heterogeneity, resulting in the most prominent global hotspots for avian biodiversity. These results underline that species-richness hotspots in tropical mountains arise from idiosyncratic levels of local species richness and turnover, a pattern that traditional analyses of overall regional species richness do not detect.

Biodiversity cradles and museums segregating within hotspots of endemism.

The immense concentrations of vertebrate species in tropical mountains remain a prominent but unexplained pattern in biogeography. A long-standing hypothesis suggests that montane biodiversity hotspots result from endemic species aggregating within ecologically stable localities. Here, the persistence of ancient lineages coincides with frequent speciation events, making such areas both 'cradles' (where new species arise) and 'museums' (where old species survive). Although this hypothesis refers to processes operating at the scale of valleys, it remains supported primarily by patterns generated from coarse-scale distribution data. Using high-resolution occurrence and phylogenetic data on Andean hummingbirds, we find that old and young endemic species are not spatially aggregated. The young endemic species tend to have non-overlapping distributions scattered along the Andean treeline, a long and narrow habitat where populations easily become fragmented. By contrast, the old endemic species have more aggregated distributions, but mainly within pockets of cloud forests at lower elevations than the young endemic species. These findings contradict the premise that biogeographical cradles and museums should overlap in valley systems where pockets of stable climate persist through periods of climate change. Instead, Andean biodiversity hotspots may derive from large-scale fluctuating climate complexity in conjunction with local-scale variability in available area and habitat connectivity.

Effect of single doses of citalopram and reboxetine on urethral pressure: A randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled three-period crossover study in healthy women.

AIMS: Urethral closure function is essential for urinary continence in women and decreased urethral pressure is associated with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). For decades, the effects of serotonergic drugs on central neural control of urethral closure have been investigated and discussed. Epidemiological studies suggest that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram, is associated with SUI. However, the literature findings are conflicting. This study aimed to evaluate citalopram's effect on opening urethral pressure (OUP) in healthy women. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled crossover study in 24 healthy women. On three study days, which were separated by 8 days of washout, the subjects received single doses of either 40 mg citalopram (and placeboreboxetine ), 8 mg reboxetine (and placebocitalopram ), or two placebos. Study drugs were administered at a 1-h interval due to a difference in estimated time to peak plasma concentration (tmax ). We measured OUP with urethral pressure reflectometry under both resting and squeezing conditions of the pelvic floor at estimated tmax for both study drugs (one timepoint). RESULTS: Compared to placebo, citalopram increased OUP by 6.6 cmH2 0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-13.1, p = 0.048) in resting condition. In squeezing condition, OUP increased by 7.1 cmH2 0 (95% CI: 1.3-12.9, p = 0.01). Reboxetine increased OUP by 30.0 cmH2 0 in resting condition compared to placebo (95% CI: 23.5-36.5, p < 0.001), and 27.0 cmH2 0 (95% CI: 21.2-32.8, p < 0.001) in squeezing condition. CONCLUSION: Citalopram increased OUP slightly compared to placebo suggesting that SSRI treatment does not induce or aggravate SUI.

Ecological mechanisms explaining interactions within plant-hummingbird networks: morphological matching increases towards lower latitudes.

Interactions between species are influenced by different ecological mechanisms, such as morphological matching, phenological overlap and species abundances. How these mechanisms explain interaction frequencies across environmental gradients remains poorly understood. Consequently, we also know little about the mechanisms that drive the geographical patterns in network structure, such as complementary specialization and modularity. Here, we use data on morphologies, phenologies and abundances to explain interaction frequencies between hummingbirds and plants at a large geographical scale. For 24 quantitative networks sampled throughout the Americas, we found that the tendency of species to interact with morphologically matching partners contributed to specialized and modular network structures. Morphological matching best explained interaction frequencies in networks found closer to the equator and in areas with low-temperature seasonality. When comparing the three ecological mechanisms within networks, we found that both morphological matching and phenological overlap generally outperformed abundances in the explanation of interaction frequencies. Together, these findings provide insights into the ecological mechanisms that underlie geographical patterns in resource specialization. Notably, our results highlight morphological constraints on interactions as a potential explanation for increasing resource specialization towards lower latitudes.

Effect of imipramine on urethral opening pressure: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in healthy women.

AIMS: In two open-label trials, imipramine alleviated symptoms in patients with stress urinary incontinence and is therefore used off-label for this indication. However, it has never been confirmed that imipramine increases urethral pressure in a placebo-controlled setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether imipramine increases the opening urethral pressure compared to placebo in healthy women using urethral pressure reflectometry. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study in 16 healthy women. Opening urethral pressure was measured predose and 1 hour after a single dose of 50 mg imipramine or placebo. The washout period was minimum of 1 week. The study was approved by the local ethics committee, conducted according to the Good Clinical Practice guidelines, and registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and EudraCT before recruitment of subjects. Funding was provided by the clinical department. RESULTS: There were no dropouts and no serious adverse events. There were 13 adverse drug reactions related to imipramine in seven subjects, one adverse event related to placebo, and two adverse events related to the measurements with urethral pressure reflectometry. Imipramine compared to placebo increased opening urethral pressure in the resting condition with 6.5 cmH2 O (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.5, 13.5), P = 0.07, and in the squeeze condition with 7.9 cmH 2 O (95% CI: -0.3, 16.1), P = 0.06. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the increase in opening urethral pressure after imipramine treatment compared to placebo was neither statistically significant nor clinically relevant, and we do therefore not recommend the off-label use of imipramine for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.

High proportion of smaller ranged hummingbird species coincides with ecological specialization across the Americas.

Ecological communities that experience stable climate conditions have been speculated to preserve more specialized interspecific associations and have higher proportions of smaller ranged species (SRS). Thus, areas with disproportionally large numbers of SRS are expected to coincide geographically with a high degree of community-level ecological specialization, but this suggestion remains poorly supported with empirical evidence. Here, we analysed data for hummingbird resource specialization, range size, contemporary climate, and Late Quaternary climate stability for 46 hummingbird-plant mutualistic networks distributed across the Americas, representing 130 hummingbird species (ca 40% of all hummingbird species). We demonstrate a positive relationship between the proportion of SRS of hummingbirds and community-level specialization, i.e. the division of the floral niche among coexisting hummingbird species. This relationship remained strong even when accounting for climate, furthermore, the effect of SRS on specialization was far stronger than the effect of specialization on SRS, suggesting that climate largely influences specialization through species' range-size dynamics. Irrespective of the exact mechanism involved, our results indicate that communities consisting of higher proportions of SRS may be vulnerable to disturbance not only because of their small geographical ranges, but also because of their high degree of specialization.

Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacodynamics of the ADAMTS-5 Nanobody M6495: Two Phase 1, Single-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Studies in Healthy Subjects and Patients With Osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of single and multiple injections of M6495, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 (ADAMTS-5)  nanobody, in healthy volunteers and patients with osteoarthritis. METHODS: Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies were performed. Study 1 enrolled 54 healthy male volunteers who received one subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of M6495 (1-300 mg) or placebo (ratio 2:1), evaluating safety, PK, and PD as changes in the serum aggrecan fragment alanine-arginine-glycine-serine (ARGS). Study 2 enrolled 32 patients with osteoarthritis with Kellgren-Lawrence grades 2 to 4 and pain greater than or equal to 40 on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index pain subscale at screening and evaluated the safety, PK, and PD of three doses every two weeks (75-300 mg per dose) or six once-weekly M6495 s.c. doses (300 mg) or placebo (ratio 3:1) over 106 days' follow-up. RESULTS: M6495 in single and multiple doses of less than or equal to 300 mg s.c. weekly was well tolerated with no clinically significant changes in any safety parameter. Adverse events more frequently reported in the M6495 groups were mostly mild cases of injection site reactions, myalgia, and nausea, which resolved after treatment cessation. The elimination half-life of single s.c. doses of M6495 ranged from 79 to 267 hours. M6495 administration substantially reduced serum ARGS levels, indicative of target engagement and indicating disease-modifying potential of M6495. CONCLUSION: Treatment with M6495 in single and multiple doses up to and including 300 mg s.c. was found to be well tolerated and adequately safe for further clinical evaluation of potential disease-modifying effects.

Extinction, coextinction and colonization dynamics in plant-hummingbird networks under climate change.

Climate-driven range shifts may cause local extinctions, while the accompanying loss of biotic interactions may trigger secondary coextinctions. At the same time, climate change may facilitate colonizations from regional source pools, balancing out local species loss. At present, how these extinction-coextinction-colonization dynamics affect biological communities under climate change is poorly understood. Using 84 communities of interacting plants and hummingbirds, we simulated patterns in climate-driven extinctions, coextinctions and colonizations under future climate change scenarios. Our simulations showed clear geographic discrepancies in the communities' vulnerability to climate change. Andean communities were the least affected by future climate change, as they experienced few climate-driven extinctions and coextinctions while having the highest colonization potential. In North America and lowland South America, communities had many climate-driven extinctions and few colonization events. Meanwhile, the pattern of coextinction was highly dependent on the configuration of networks formed by interacting hummingbirds and plants. Notably, North American communities experienced proportionally fewer coextinctions than other regions because climate-driven extinctions here primarily affected species with peripheral network roles. Moreover, coextinctions generally decreased in communities where species have few overlapping interactions, that is, communities with more complementary specialized and modular networks. Together, these results highlight that we should not expect colonizations to adequately balance out local extinctions in the most vulnerable ecoregions.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial of inhaled and intranasal niclosamide: A broad spectrum antiviral candidate for treatment of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is spreading globally and treatment options remain limited. A formulation of niclosamide, a potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent and a broad-spectrum antiviral treatment candidate, optimized for inhalation and intranasal administration (UNI91104) was developed. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, single-centre, dose-ascending Phase 1 trial to assess the safety of UNI91104 in Denmark (NCT04576312). Healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to a ascending single dose in cohort 1-4 and five doses over 2.5 days in cohort 5. Inclusion criteria included a minimum 80% of predicted lung function. Exclusion criteria included severe, clinically significant allergies and current acute or chronic condition especially airway diseases. Safety was evaluated through adverse events (AEs) and pulmonary function tests including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) tests. The primary endpoints were defined as the frequency of reported AEs and the change of safety variables relative to pre-dose. Data from all enroled healthy volunteers receiving any amount of IMP was included in the primary analyses. The pharmacokinetics of UNI91104 was determined. FINDINGS: The trial was conducted between 29 June 2020 and 08 August 2020. Thirty-four healthy volunteers received UNI91104 and ten placebo. No serious AEs or discontinuation were reported. Mild irritation in the upper respiratory tract following inhalation of UNI91104 was reported as most frequent AE (45 events in 26 healthy volunteers, 59% of all healthy volunteers). Nasal application was well-tolerated. There was no evidence of difference in the change of mean levels of pulmonary function tests between active and placebo group across all cohorts. Five healthy volunteers (11.4%) (1 on placebo) had signs of increased transient FeNO and 4 on active (9.1%) experienced asymptomatic drops in FEV1, which resolved spontaneously or were reversible with a ß2-agonist. Niclosamide exhibited dose-proportional pharmacokinetics following inhalation and intranasal administration. INTERPRETATION: UNI91104, a promising candidate for inhalation and intranasal therapy against COVID-19 and other viral respiratory tract infections is well-tolerated in healthy volunteers and warrants further testing in patient trials. FUNDING: The study was funded by Innovationsfonden Denmark and UNION therapeutics.

Vaccination against RhoC induces long-lasting immune responses in patients with prostate cancer: results from a phase I/II clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Peptide-based vaccination is a rational option for immunotherapy of prostate cancer. In this first-in-man phase I/II study, we assessed the safety, tolerability and immunological impact of a synthetic long peptide vaccine targeting Ras homolog gene family member C (RhoC) in patients with prostate cancer. RhoC is a small GTPase overexpressed in advanced solid cancers, metastases and cancer stem cells. METHODS: Twenty-two patients who had previously undergone radical prostatectomy received subcutaneous injections of 0.1 mg of a single RhoC-derived 20mer peptide emulsified in Montanide ISA-51 every 2 weeks for the first six times, then five times every 4 weeks for a total treatment time of 30 weeks. The drug safety and vaccine-specific immune responses were assessed during treatment and thereafter within a 13-month follow-up period. Serum level of prostate-specific antigen was measured up to 26 months postvaccination. RESULTS: Most patients (18 of 21 evaluable) developed a strong CD4 T cell response against the vaccine, which lasted at least 10 months following the last vaccination. Three promiscuouslypresented HLA-class II epitopes were identified. Vaccine-specific CD4 T cells were polyfunctional and effector memory T cells that stably expressed PD-1 (CD279) and OX-40 (CD134), but not LAG-3 (CD223). One CD8 T cell response was detected in addition. The vaccine was well tolerated and no treatment-related adverse events of grade ≥3 were observed. CONCLUSION: Targeting of RhoC induced a potent and long-lasting T cell immunity in the majority of the patients. The study demonstrates an excellent safety and tolerability profile. Vaccination against RhoC could potentially delay or prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis formation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03199872.

Midazolam Pharmacokinetics in Obese and Non-obese Children and Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Midazolam is a first-line drug for the treatment of status epilepticus, both by buccal and intravenous administration. In children and adolescents with obesity, midazolam pharmacokinetics may be altered, and the current dosing guidelines may therefore be insufficient. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of midazolam, after intravenous administration, in obese and non-obese adolescents aged 11-18 years. METHODS: All trial participants received a 1-µg midazolam microdose as an intravenous bolus. 13 blood samples were collected per participant at pre-specified timepoints. Plasma concentration-time data were fitted to pharmacokinetic models using non-linear mixed-effects modeling. Covariates such as weight, age, and body mass index standard deviation score were tested to explain the inter-individual variability associated with the pharmacokinetic parameters. RESULTS: Sixty-seven adolescents were included in the analysis. The pharmacokinetics of midazolam was best described with a two-compartment model. The rate of distribution was faster, and the peripheral volume of distribution was larger in adolescents with a high body mass index standard deviation score compared with adolescents with a lower standard deviation score. Simulations revealed that long-term infusions based on total body weight could lead to high plasma concentrations in adolescents with obesity. Furthermore, simulated plasma concentrations after a fixed buccal dose indicated that adolescents with obesity may be at risk of sub-therapeutic midazolam plasma concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: The body mass index standard deviation score was shown to have a significant influence on the peripheral volume of distribution and the inter-compartmental clearance of midazolam. The current dosing guidelines for status epilepticus, where the midazolam dose is adjusted to total body weight or age, may lead to supra- and sub-therapeutic plasma concentrations, respectively, in adolescents with obesity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT: 2014-004554-34.

Evaluation of the effect of the specific CCR1 antagonist CP-481715 on the clinical and cellular responses observed following epicutaneous nickel challenge in human subjects.

BACKGROUND: The CC-chemokine receptor-1 (CCR1) is thought to be involved in recruitment of inflammatory cells in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). CP-481715 is a specific antagonist of CCR1. OBJECTIVES: To determine the inhibitory effects of CP-418 715 in ACD by evaluating the clinical signs and cellular infiltration in skin biopsies following epicutaneous nickel challenge in allergic subjects. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this phase 1/2 study, 40 subjects were randomized to 5 days of treatment in four parallel groups (placebo three times daily (TID), placebo once daily (QD), 1000 mg CP-418 715 TID, and 3000 mg CP-418 715 QD). Twenty-four hours after the first drug administration, nickel sulfate patches were applied on subjects' backs and removed 48 hours later. RESULTS: Pretreatment with 1000 mg CP-481715 TID resulted in significant reductions in visual scores of the nickel reactions (P = 0.01). Instrumentally measured erythema tended to decrease in the CP-481715 mg TID group (P = 0.06). No differences were noted between the 3000 mg CP-481715 mg QD group and pooled placebo. No significant differences were found for immunohistological cell counts. CP-418 715 was generally safe and well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Blocking of CCR1 only partly inhibited clinical manifestations of ACD. Several chemokine receptors are likely relevant for the cellular influx observed in ACD lesions.

Important Aspects of Pharmacist-led Medication Reviews in an Acute Medical Ward.

In some hospitals, clinical pharmacists review the medication to find drug-related problems (DRPs) in acutely admitted patients. We aimed to identify the nature of identified DRPs and investigate factors of potential importance for the clinical implementation of pharmacist suggestions. In 100 randomly selected medication review (MR) notes, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical implementation and classified (1) timing and communication of the review; (2) DRPs and related suggestions for the physician; and (3) DRPs' potential clinical relevance to patients as 'beneficial', 'somewhat beneficial', 'no relevance' or 'other relevance'. Of 327 DRPs (0-13 DRPs per patient), 42% were implemented. The clinical implementation was higher if the MR note was made prior to (instead of after) the physician's admission, and even higher if the suggestions were communicated verbally (instead of only in writing) to the physicians (44% versus 79%, p < 0.05). The clinical relevance of the DRPs was either 'beneficial' (16%), 'somewhat beneficial' (43%), 'no relevance' (22%) or 'other relevance' (19%). The 'beneficial' DRPs had a higher clinical implementation (53%) than 'no relevance' (34%) (p < 0.05). The most frequently implemented suggestions were based on DRPs concerning 'indication for drug treatment not noticed', 'inappropriate drug form' and 'drug dose too low', with implementation rates of 83%, 67% and 63%, respectively. In our sample, the pharmacist's MR suggestions were only implemented by physicians in 42% of the cases, but review prior to physician contact and verbal communication of the suggestions, higher clinical relevance and specific types of DRPs were associated with a higher implementation rate.

Medication Review and Patient Outcomes in an Orthopedic Department: A Randomized Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the health-related effect of systematic medication review performed by a clinical pharmacist and a clinical pharmacologist on nonelective elderly orthopedic patients. METHODS: This is a nonblinded randomized controlled study of 108 patients 65 years or older treated with at least 4 drugs. For the intervention, the clinical pharmacist reviewed the participants' medication after completion of the usual medication routine. Information was collected from medical charts, interviews with participants, and database registrations of drug purchase. Results were conferred with the clinical pharmacologist, and recommendations were delivered directly to the ward physicians. The control was usual medication routine, that is, physicians prescribing admitting orders. The primary outcome was time to the first unplanned contact to a physician after discharge (i.e., general practitioner, emergency department visit, or readmission) during 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included other health-related outcomes, for example, length of in-hospital stay, mortality, and quality of life. RESULTS: Time to the first unplanned contact to a physician was 14.9 days (95% confidence interval, 8.9-21.0) in the intervention group compared with 27.3 days (95% confidence interval, 18.9-35.7) in the controls (P = 0.05). Overall, no statistically significant differences were seen in the secondary outcomes apart from "number of" and "time to first" emergency department visits, which were in favor of the intervention group. A marked hesitation of the ward physicians to comply with recommendations was noted (18%). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the patients receiving usual care had a significantly longer time to the first unplanned contact to a physician after discharge; however, the fact that less than 1 of 5 recommendations was adopted by the physicians raises concerns as to whether this finding could be attributable to the intervention.

Clinical Pharmacology in Denmark in 2016 - 40 Years with the Danish Society of Clinical Pharmacology and 20 Years as a Medical Speciality.

The Danish Society of Clinical Pharmacology was founded in 1976, and mainly thanks to the persistent efforts of the society, clinical pharmacology became an independent medical speciality in Denmark in 1996. Since then, clinical pharmacology has gone from strength to strength. In the Danish healthcare system, clinical pharmacology has established itself as an indispensible part of the efforts to promote the rational, safe and economic use of drugs. Clinical pharmacologists are active in drug committees both in hospitals and in the primary sector. All clinical pharmacology centres offer a local medicines information service. Some centres have established an adverse drug effect manager function. Only one centre offers a therapeutic drug monitoring service. Clinical pharmacologists are responsible for the toxicological advice at the Danish Poison Information Centre at Bispebjerg University Hospital in the Capital Region. The Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Aarhus University Hospital works closely together with forensic toxicologists and pathologists, covering issues regarding illicit substances, forensic pharmacology, post-mortem toxicology, expert testimony and research. Therapeutic geriatric and psychiatric teach-inns for specialist and junior doctors are among the newest initiatives organized by clinical pharmacologists. Clinical pharmacologists work also in the Danish Medicines Agency and in the Danish pharmaceutical industry, and the latter has in particular a great growth potential for creating new jobs and career opportunities for clinical pharmacologists. As of July 2016, the Danish Society of Clinical Pharmacology has 175 members, and 70 of these are specialists in clinical pharmacology corresponding to approximately 2.5 specialists per 1000 doctors (Denmark has in total 28,000 doctors) or approximately 12 specialists per one million inhabitants.

Acute hypoxia and cytochrome P450-mediated hepatic drug metabolism in humans.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the effect of acute hypoxia on the activity of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. METHODS: Twelve healthy subjects who lived at sea level were exposed to altitude-induced hypoxia for 7 days at 4559 m above sea level. Hepatic CYP enzyme activity was measured before departure, at 24 and 96 hours after arrival to high-altitude location, and at 1 month after return to sea level. CYP enzyme activities were measured by means of the metabolic ratios of sparteine (CYP2D6), endogenous cortisol metabolism (CYP3A4), and caffeine (CYP1A2), as well as by the S/R ratio of mephenytoin (CYP2C19) and antipyrine clearance. RESULTS: The metabolic ratio of sparteine increased after 24 hours at high altitude (median difference, 0.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.05 to 0.28) and remained increased after 96 hours. The ratio decreased after return to sea level (median difference, -0.15; 95% confidence interval, -0.29 to -0.03; P =.016, Friedman test). The metabolic ratio of cortisol decreased after 24 hours (median difference, -2.0; 95% confidence interval, -3.5 to -0.5) but returned to sea level values after 96 hours at high altitude (median difference, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 4.2; P =.047, Friedman test). These changes indicate a small decrease in the activity of CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. There were no significant changes regarding the metabolic ratio of caffeine, the S/R ratio of mephenytoin, or antipyrine clearance. CONCLUSION: The small changes observed suggest that acute hypoxia has no clinically significant effects on CYP enzymes in humans.

Oral manganese for liver imaging at three different field strengths.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To study the magnetic resonance imaging signal intensity of the liver and gall bladder before and after ingestion of a new oral manganese containing contrast medium at three different field strengths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve healthy male volunteers (mean age, 24.9 years; range, 20-39 years) underwent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (T(2)W COR, T(1)W COR, T(1)W TRA) at 0.23 T, 0.6 T, and 1.5 T before and after the contrast administration. The duration of fasting was identical before the two studies. Volunteers were randomized into two equal groups (n = 6) to ingest either half or full strength CMC-001 providing either 0.8 or 1.6.g MnCl(2) plus absorption promoters. The CMC-001 dose was dissolved in 400 mL water and ingested 2.5 hours before imaging. The resulting images were evaluated with regard to visualization of the liver and the gall bladder by three radiologists. The signal intensity of the liver was also measured. Blood and urine samples were collected before and after ingestion of CMC-001. RESULTS: The intake of CMC-001 caused a significant increase in the signal intensity of the liver at all three field strengths and at both dosages (up to 90%) on the T(1)W images. The internal structure of the liver was significantly better delineated. The bile in gall bladder was bright after ingestion of the low dose, but dark after the full dose. On the T(2)W images, CMC-001 lowered the signal intensity of liver with up to 30%. CMC-001 had a slight metallic taste, but of no importance according to the volunteers. No systematic adverse reactions caused by the contrast medium were registered. No changes in the blood levels of various routine parameters were measured. CONCLUSION: It is possible to increase the signal intensity of the liver significantly by oral intake of essential nutritional elements including manganese. The imaging window is more than 2 hours.

[Why is QT interval interesting?]. / Hvorfor skal vi interessere os for QT-intervallet?

A prolonged Q-T interval is generally associated with increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias, like torsade de pointes, and death. It has recently become apparent that not only antiarrhythmic drugs such as sotalol and Kinidin, but also a variety of nonantiarrhythmic drugs, like certain antihistamines, antimicrobial drugs, psychiatric drugs, and cisapride, may induce prolongation of the Q-T interval and torsade de pointes. Special concern should be drawn to the co-administration of drugs that interfere with the metabolism and elimination of these drugs, such as ketoconazole. Patients with congenital long Q-T syndrome, patients with heart disease, with hypokalaemia or hypomagnesaemia, and women have an increased risk. Every sign on dizziness or syncope should be regarded as a warning sign of possible arrhythmia in patients treated with drugs that potentially prolong the Q-T interval. Measurement of the Q-T interval before and during treatment is generally recommended in high-risk patients.

Determinants of bird species richness, endemism, and island network roles in Wallacea and the West Indies: is geography sufficient or does current and historical climate matter?

Island biogeography has greatly contributed to our understanding of the processes determining species' distributions. Previous research has focused on the effects of island geography (i.e., island area, elevation, and isolation) and current climate as drivers of island species richness and endemism. Here, we evaluate the potential additional effects of historical climate on breeding land bird richness and endemism in Wallacea and the West Indies. Furthermore, on the basis of species distributions, we identify island biogeographical network roles and examine their association with geography, current and historical climate, and bird richness/endemism. We found that island geography, especially island area but also isolation and elevation, largely explained the variation in island species richness and endemism. Current and historical climate only added marginally to our understanding of the distribution of species on islands, and this was idiosyncratic to each archipelago. In the West Indies, endemic richness was slightly reduced on islands with historically unstable climates; weak support for the opposite was found in Wallacea. In both archipelagos, large islands with many endemics and situated far from other large islands had high importance for the linkage within modules, indicating that these islands potentially act as speciation pumps and source islands for surrounding smaller islands within the module and, thus, define the biogeographical modules. Large islands situated far from the mainland and/or with a high number of nonendemics acted as links between modules. Additionally, in Wallacea, but not in the West Indies, climatically unstable islands tended to interlink biogeographical modules. The weak and idiosyncratic effect of historical climate on island richness, endemism, and network roles indicates that historical climate had little effects on extinction-immigration dynamics. This is in contrast to the strong effect of historical climate observed on the mainland, possibly because surrounding oceans buffer against strong climate oscillations and because geography is a strong determinant of island richness, endemism and network roles.

[Sparse effect of long-term treatment with macrolides in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. / Sparsom effekt af langtidsbehandling med makrolider ved kronisk obstruktiv lungesygdom.

Macrolides have been proposed to have a positive effect in patients with inflammatory lung diseases, including patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who suffer from acute exacerbations. Increased use of macrolides for long-term treatment of patients with COPD has been observed. The evidence of a treatment effect of macrolides in this area is sparse, but some studies suggest that it might be beneficial on the number of exacerbations and the length between them. At present there is not sufficient evidence to issue a general recommendation for prescribing macrolides for the long-term treatment of COPD.