Evicting cuckoo nestlings from the nest: a new anti-parasitism behaviour.

As avian brood parasitism usually reduces hosts' reproductive success, hosts often exhibit strong defence mechanisms. While such host defences at the egg stage (especially egg rejection) have been extensively studied, defence mechanisms at the nestling stage have been reported only recently. We found a previously unknown anti-parasitism behaviour in the large-billed Gerygone, which is a host species of the little bronze-cuckoo, a host-evicting brood parasite. The hosts forcibly pulled resisting nestlings out of their nests and dumped them. Although it has been suggested that defence mechanisms at the nestling stage may evolve when host defence at the egg stage is evaded by the parasite, the studied host seems to lack an anti-parasitism strategy at the egg stage. This suggests that the evolutionary pathway may be quite different from those of previously studied cuckoo-host systems. Future research on this unique system may give us new insights into the evolution of avian brood parasitism.

Repurposing a traditional Japanese method of pest control for wintering pine moths, Komo-trap, for use against summer and winter populations of fall webworms.

BACKGROUND: The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is a widespread invasive species. It is native to North America, ranging from southern Canada to northern Mexico. During and after the 1940s, this pest was accidentally introduced in many parts of Europe and Asia. It has now spread to more than 30 countries. The larvae feed on leaves of a wide range of tree species, including ones used as street trees in cities, causing an increase in urban management cost. Although several pest management methods have been employed, pest damage continues especially in newly invaded areas. In this study, we examined the effect and cost-effectiveness of the komo-trap, traditionally used in Japan to reduce the population of larvae of the pine moth Dendrolimus spectabilis Butler (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae). This trap, which is safe for people and ecosystems, has not yet been applied to trap the fall webworm. METHODS: In two seasons of 2017, we set komo-traps on street trees in Hakodate City, Japan. We counted the numbers of captured fall webworms compared with controls. We also monitored other species to evaluate any nontarget effects of the trap. RESULTS: One komo, the material cost of which is about 1.10 USD, captured 43.8 fall webworms on average in summer and 27.2 in the fall. The values were significantly larger than those of the controls, which were 0.07 in summer and 0.14 in winter. Bycatch of other species was minimal in summer, whereas in the fall one komo, on average, caught 10.7 woodlice Porcellio sp. or spp. (Isopoda: Porcellionidae). DISCUSSION: The komo-trap is effective in capturing fall webworm. The cost performance of the trap is very favorable, and the nontarget effects can be reduced by using the trap in summer only. The komo-trap would complement other control methods such as tree pruning. Because its cost is low, we recommend that the komo-trap be introduced as a larger-scale trial.

Biliary complications after 52 adult living donor liver transplantations: a single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of biliary complications after adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT) are still high even though various devices have been reported to overcome them. METHOD: From October 2000 to April 2007, we performed 52 ALDLTs which included 15 ABO-incompatible grafts. Median follow-up was 565 days. In 49 procedures, we used duct-to-duct anastmosis with a stent inserted in the recipient duct and out through the common bile duct wall as an external stent, and in 3 procedures, we used duct-to-jejunostomy anastomosis. We investigated postoperative biliary complications and their management. RESULTS: Forty-four patients received right lobe grafts and 8 received left lobe grafts. Among patients in whom duct-to-duct anastomosis was used, nine (20.5%) developed biliary complications including bile leakage in five and biliary strictures in four. All bile leakage was treated with reoperation. Three biliary strictures were treated with stent placement, and one biliary stricture was treated with magnetic compression anastomosis. Among the three patients in whom duct-to-jejunostomy was used, two (66.7%) had bile leakage and stricture, respectively. Two of four ABO-incompatible patients (50%) had hepatic artery thrombosis with biliary complications, a high incidence. CONCLUSION: In our series of ABO-incompatible patients undergoing ALDLT, those who developed hepatic artery thrombosis exhibited a high incidence of biliary complications.

Male-specific mortality biases secondary sex ratio in Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus.

Sex allocation theory predicts that parents bias the offspring sex ratio strategically. In avian species, the offspring sex ratio can be biased at multiple growth stages, although the mechanisms are not well known. It is crucial to reveal a cause and timing of biased offspring sex ratio. We investigated (i) offspring sex ratio at multiple growth stages, from laying to fledging; and (ii) the stage at which offspring sex ratio became biased; and (iii) the cause of biased offspring sex ratio in Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus. Sex determination of 218 offspring, including hatchlings and unhatched eggs from 41 clutches, suggested that the offspring sex ratio was not biased at the egg-laying stage but was significantly female-biased after the laying stage due to higher mortality of male embryos. Half of the unhatched eggs showed no sign of embryo development (37/74, 50.00%), and most undeveloped eggs were male (36/37, 97.30%). Additional experiments using an incubator suggested that the cause of embryo developmental failure was a lack of developmental ability within the egg, rather than a failure of incubation. This study highlights the importance of clarifying offspring sex ratio at multiple stages and suggests that offspring sex ratio is adjusted after fertilization.

Radioactive contamination of nest materials of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus due to the Fukushima nuclear accident: The significance in the first year.

The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident contaminated large areas of eastern and northeastern Japan, releasing vast amounts of radiation. Here we investigated radioactive contamination of the nest materials of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus from the breeding season of 2011 directly after the accident to the next breeding season of 2012 at two sites. In Tokyo (222 km southwest of the plant), ambient dose rates in the nestboxes were lower than those in Ibaraki (175 km southwest of the plant), where the levels of 2011 were higher than those of 2012. Further, the amount of radioactive Cs in each nest increased with the increase in nest weight, with a higher increment at Ibaraki than at Tokyo. These data suggested higher nest contamination levels in the breeding season directly after a nuclear accident than in later seasons, and an increment of nest contamination levels via nest materials of birds.

Estrogen staining in breast carcinoma by PAP methods compared to CEA and ferritin staining.

The aims of this paper are to demonstrate the stainability of estrogen, CEA, and ferritin in breast carcinomas, fibroadenomas, and fibrocystic diseases; to examine whether the findings of endogenous estrogen using the immunohistochemical detection method are related to estrogen receptor (ER) assays; and to determine whether the stainability of estrogen, CEA, and ferritin were related to the prognosis of breast carcinomas. In breast cancer, the stainability of estrogen using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method was positively correlated with the dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) assay for ER. In breast cancers, the percentage of positive staining was 46% for estrogen, 48% for CEA, and 47% for ferritin. With all three stains, significant differences were observed between cancer and benign diseases. Cases that were both positive for estrogen staining and negative for CEA showed a good prognosis after the recurrence of disease. Our data suggest that the immunohistochemical staining of estrogen, CEA, and ferritin might predict the biological behavior of breast carcinomas and be a prognostically useful indicator of breast cancer patients.