Sailfish generate foraging opportunities for seabirds in multi-species predator aggregations.

While various marine predators form associations, the most commonly studied are those between subsurface predators and seabirds, with gulls, shearwaters or terns frequently co-occurring with dolphins, billfish or tuna. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain poorly understood. Three hypotheses have been proposed to explain the prevalence of these associations: (1) subsurface predators herd prey to the surface and make prey accessible to birds, (2) subsurface predators damage prey close to the surface and thereby provide food scraps to birds, and (3) attacks of underwater predators lower the cohesion of prey groups and thereby their collective defences making the prey easier to be captured by birds. Using drone footage, we investigated the interaction between Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) and terns (Onychoprion sp.) preying on schooling fish off the eastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula. Through spatio-temporal analysis of the hunting behaviour of the two predatory species and direct measures of prey cohesion we showed that terns attacked when school cohesion was low, and that this decrease in cohesion was frequently caused by sailfish attacks. Therefore, we propose that sailfish created a by-product benefit for the bird species, lending support to the hypothesis that lowering cohesion can facilitate associations between subsurface predators and seabirds.

Modeling Contaminant Microbes in Rivers During Both Baseflow and Stormflow.

Rivers transport contaminant microorganisms (including fecal indicator bacteria and human pathogens) long distances downstream of diffuse and point sources, posing a human health risk. We present a mobile-immobile model that incorporates transport as well as immobilization and remobilization of contaminant microbes and other fine particles during baseflow and stormflow. During baseflow conditions, hyporheic exchange flow causes particles to accumulate in streambed sediments. Remobilization of stored particles from streambed sediments occurs slowly during baseflow via hyporheic exchange flow, while remobilization is vastly increased during stormflow. Model predictions are compared to observations over a range of artificial and natural flood events in the dairy contaminated Topehaehae Stream, New Zealand. The model outputs closely matched timing and magnitude of E. coli and turbidity observations through multiple high-flow events. By accounting for both state-of-flow and hyporheic exchange processes, the model provides a valuable framework for predicting particle and contaminant microbe behavior in streams.

[German S1 Guideline Long-/Post-COVID]. / S1-Leitlinie Long-/Post-COVID.

The German Society of Pneumology initiated 2021 the AWMF S1 guideline Long COVID/Post-COVID. In a broad interdisciplinary approach, this S1 guideline was designed based on the current state of knowledge.The clinical recommendations describe current Long COVID/Post-COVID symptoms, diagnostic approaches, and therapies.In addition to the general and consensus introduction, a subject-specific approach was taken to summarize the current state of knowledge.The guideline has an explicit practical claim and will be developed and adapted by the author team based on the current increase in knowledge.

Linking hunting weaponry to attack strategies in sailfish and striped marlin.

Linking morphological differences in foraging adaptations to prey choice and feeding strategies has provided major evolutionary insights across taxa. Here, we combine behavioural and morphological approaches to explore and compare the role of the rostrum (bill) and micro-teeth in the feeding behaviour of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) and striped marlin (Kajikia audax) when attacking schooling sardine prey. Behavioural results from high-speed videos showed that sailfish and striped marlin both regularly made rostrum contact with prey but displayed distinct strategies. Marlin used high-speed dashes, breaking schools apart, often contacting prey incidentally or tapping at isolated prey with their rostra; while sailfish used their rostra more frequently and tended to use a slower, less disruptive approach with more horizontal rostral slashes on cohesive prey schools. Capture success per attack was similar between species, but striped marlin had higher capture rates per minute. The rostra of both species are covered with micro-teeth, and micro-CT imaging showed that species did not differ in average micro-tooth length, but sailfish had a higher density of micro-teeth on the dorsal and ventral sides of their rostra and a higher amount of micro-teeth regrowth, suggesting a greater amount of rostrum use is associated with more investment in micro-teeth. Our analysis shows that the rostra of billfish are used in distinct ways and we discuss our results in the broader context of relationships between morphological and behavioural feeding adaptations across species.

[Increase of scabies and therapy resistance among German military personnel : An 8-year follow-up study in the Department of Dermatology of the Armed Forces Hospital Berlin, Germany (2012-2019)]. / Anstieg von Skabies und Therapierefraktärität bei Bundeswehrangehörigen : Acht-Jahre-Follow-up-Studie aus der Hautklinik des Bundeswehrkrankenhauses Berlin (2012­2019).

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of scabies has become surprisingly frequent in Germany in recent years and the use of scabicides has risen significantly. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our survey was to determine whether this trend can also be detected among military personnel of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). METHODS: The study was conducted as a retrospective single-center study over a period of 8 years from 2012 to 2019 in the Department of Dermatology of the Armed Forces Hospital Berlin, Germany. Data were generated from the hospital information system (KIS), which was searched for all scabies-coded diagnoses according to ICD10 code B86 both as outpatients and inpatients. Only first presentations with scabies diagnosis confirmed by dermoscopy or microscopy by a dermatologist were included. Inpatient treatment was required if a patient was not cured after at least three antiscabies treatment cycles in the outpatient setting. RESULTS: The data show that there has been a steady increase in the diagnosis of scabies in Bundeswehr personnel. Moreover, our data show that the number of unsuccessfully treated outpatients increased and required in-hospital treatment. CONCLUSION: We observed an increase of scabies among German military personnel who represent a typical at-risk group. These results support the observations of an increased incidence of scabies in Germany in general and especially in an at-risk population. With the general increase in scabies cases, there are also increasing numbers of German military personnel who are refractory to treatment, which was largely attributed to inadequate treatment of contact persons and individual treatment errors. Nevertheless, the data also emphasize the low overall prevalence of scabies; therefore, all diagnoses should be confirmed by dermoscopy or microscopy after 14 days whenever possible to rule out the bias of overreporting due to false-positive cases diagnosed only by clinical examination.

Stokes shift microscopy by excitation and emission imaging.

In this contribution, we present a new method, based on a tunable excitation laser source and a robust common path interferometer in the detection channel. Its purpose is to image spectral excitation and emission information on a monochrome complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera. This allows us to spatially obtain both excitation and emission spectra of the whole imaged area and create derived images such as red-green-blue (RGB), excitation and emission maxima, and Stokes shift images. Our presented method is a further development of hyperspectral imaging that usually is limited to recording spatially resolved emission spectra. Taking advantage of the full camera chip should speed up the acquisition versus line scan or pointwise hyperspectral imaging.

Step-Edge-Induced Anisotropic Chiral Spin Coupling in Ultrathin Magnetic Films.

Step edges represent a local break of lateral symmetry in ultrathin magnetic films. In our experiments, we investigate the spin coupling across atomic step edges on Fe/W(110) by means of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Local modifications of the spin texture toward step edges separating double from single layer areas are observed, and selection rules indicate a chiral spin coupling that significantly changes with the propagation along the [11[over ¯]0] or the [001] crystallographic direction. The findings are explained via anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions arising from the broken lateral symmetry at atomic step edges.

Main-chain liquid-crystal elastomers versus side-chain liquid-crystal elastomers: similarities and differences in their mechanical properties.

After a general introduction on the main aspects of the mechanical properties of main-chain liquid-crystal elastomers (MCLCEs) and side-chain liquid-crystal elastomers (SCLCEs), new results will be presented dealing with several MCLCEs with a cross-linker density C = 8%, 6% and 4% and with a SCLCE with C = 10%, all prepared by the two-step cross-linking process. A non-SCLCE with bulky side-groups similar in shape to the mesogens was also synthesized for comparison with the SCLCE. Most of the experiments were performed with a piezorheometer allowing the determination of the shear anisotropy of the samples by applying shear in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the director, and with a thermo-elastic device for the E measurements. The main results concern: (a) the influence of the supercritical nature of SCLCE and the subcritical nature of MCLCEs on the mechanical properties of these elastomers, as well as that of SmC domains present in MCLCEs; (b) the relationship between the degrees of elongation and of anisotropy deduced from the variations of and during the poly-domain to mono-domain transition of the 10% SCLCE and the 8% MCLCE; (c) the determination of the Poisson's ratio showing that it is isotropic for the non-SCLCE, with a crossover between 0.5 (classical value for rubbers) for small strains and 0.38 for high strains, and anisotropic for the 10% SCLCE and 8% MCLCE, with values <0.5. The particular behaviors of the Poisson's ratios can be explained by confinement effects occurring when stretching increases.

Immature platelets do not reliably predict platelet recovery in patients with intensive chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It has been reported that immature platelets may indicate imminent platelet (PLT) recovery following intensive chemotherapy and/or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with the perspective to withhold unnecessary transfusions. The objective of our prospective study was to test immature PLTs as measured by two haematology analysers to predict PLT recovery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study monitored 51 courses of severe thrombocytopenia after chemotherapy in 35 adult haematology/oncology patients starting at a PLT count <70 × 109 /l until PLT recovery (>20 × 109 /l) or discharge from hospital. Immature platelets as measured by immature platelet fraction (IPF) (Sysmex XE-5000) and retPLT (Abbott CD-Sapphire) as well as reticulocyte and leucocyte count were evaluated regarding their usefulness to predict PLT recovery. Furthermore, the influence of platelet concentrate (PC) transfusions upon IPF and retPLT was assessed. RESULTS: With beginning of thrombocytopenia, most patients demonstrated elevated IPF% (median 8·6%) and retPLT% (median 6·8%). These elevated values significantly dropped after transfusions of PCs. IPF and retPLT values during nadir and at imminent PLT recovery were largely overlapping and receiver operating characteristics analysis demonstrated poor separation between both clinical situations. A reasonable cut-off could not be established to prospectively predict imminent PLT recovery for either of the parameters investigated. CONCLUSION: Measurements of IPF and retPLT lack predictive power regarding imminent PLT recovery in patients with severe thrombocytopenia following intensive chemotherapy. Decisions regarding prophylactic PC transfusions should not be based on these parameters.

Alterations of hair cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone in mother-infant-dyads with maternal childhood maltreatment.

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment (CM) has severe effects on psychological and physical health. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the major stress system of the body, is dysregulated after CM. The analysis of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in scalp hair presents a new and promising methodological approach to assess chronic HPA axis activity. This study investigated the effects of CM on HPA axis activity in the last trimester of pregnancy by measuring the two important signaling molecules, cortisol and DHEA in hair, shortly after parturition. In addition, we explored potential effects of maternal CM on her offspring's endocrine milieu during pregnancy by measuring cortisol and DHEA in newborns' hair. METHODS: CM was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Cortisol and DHEA were measured in hair samples of 94 mothers and 30 newborns, collected within six days after delivery. Associations of maternal CM on her own and her newborn's cortisol as well as DHEA concentrations in hair were analyzed with heteroscedastic regression models. RESULTS: Higher CM was associated with significantly higher DHEA levels, but not cortisol concentrations in maternal hair. Moreover, maternal CM was positively, but only as a non-significant trend, associated with higher DHEA levels in the newborns' hair. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the steroid milieu of the mother, at least on the level of DHEA, is altered after CM, possibly leading to non-genomic transgenerational effects on the developing fetus in utero. Indeed, we observed on an explorative level first hints that the endocrine milieu for the developing child might be altered in CM mothers. These results need extension and replication in future studies. The measurement of hair steroids in mothers and their newborns is promising, but more research is needed to better understand the effects of a maternal history of CM on the developing fetus.

[Choosing wisely recommendations in hematology and oncology]. / Klug-entscheiden-Empfehlungen in der Hämatologie und Onkologie.

Many new diagnostic and therapeutic options have been introduced in the field of hematology and medical oncology during recent years. Rational treatment recommendations are thus of even greater importance. Five presumably underused measures are recommended (positive recommendations), primarily pertaining to supportive therapy, but also concerning the selective use of molecular diagnostics. Recommendations to avoid unnecessary procedures (negative recommendations) involve a possible excessive use of anticancer therapy and imaging, and insufficiently selective use of growth factors, antiemetics, and targeted therapies.

Compromised immune response in infants at risk for type 1 diabetes born by Caesarean Section.

Children born by Caesarean Section have a higher risk for type 1 diabetes. We aimed to investigate whether Caesarean Section leads to alterations of the immune response in children with familial risk for type 1 diabetes. We examined measures of innate and adaptive immune responses in 94 prospectively followed children, including 40 born by Caesarean Section. Proinflammatory serum cytokine concentrations were determined at age 6 months. As a measure of vaccine response, IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 tetanus antibody titers and CD4(+) T cell proliferation against tetanus toxoid were quantified. Compared to infants born by vaginal delivery, infants born by Caesarean Section had lower concentrations of the cytokines IFN-É£ (p=0.014) and IL-8 (p=0.005), and weaker CD4(+) T cell responses to tetanus measured in the first (p=0.007) and second year (p=0.047) of life. Overall, our findings provide evidence that the mode of delivery influences the immune status and responsiveness during childhood.

Topotecan plus cyclophosphamide in adults with relapsed or refractory pediatric-type sarcoma: a retrospective analysis from the German Sarcoma Medical Oncology Group (AIO).

BACKGROUND: To assess the efficacy and safety of topotecan and cyclophosphamide (TC) in adult patients with pediatric-type sarcoma subtypes who failed induction chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with pediatric sarcoma subtypes, refractory to or relapsed after at least one prior induction chemotherapy, inoperable, ECOG PS 0-2, with measurable, progressive disease (PD), adequate organ functions, who have been treated with TC combination were retrospectively analysed within the AIO and SAREZ/BMBF network. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients, median age 28 years (18-58), 14 females, 25 males, have been identified. All patients had received induction treatment according to (inter)national study protocols. Second-line TC was applied in 33 patients (≥3rd-line in 6 patients). Twenty-three patients had refractory disease (evidence of PD during induction chemotherapy); 8 patients experienced an early relapse within 6 months as well as 8 patients after more than 24 months (late relapse). A median of 3 cycles (range, 1-6) had been applied and antitumor activity was: CR 2.6 %, PR 7.9 %, and disease stabilisation (SD) 26.3 %. PR lasted 32.8 months and median duration in patients with SD was 5 months (range, 2.0-14.7). The 3/6-months progression-free rates were 43.2 and 18.9 %. CONCLUSIONS: Limited activity was seen in adult pts with refractory or relapsed pediatric-type sarcomas with the regimen which has proven activity in pediatric patients. Adults with refractory small cell sarcoma appear to have a similar dismal outcome as seen in pts with common adult-type histologies; however, a subset of patients has achieved long-lasting remissions on TC resulting in long-term survival.

How sailfish use their bills to capture schooling prey.

The istiophorid family of billfishes is characterized by an extended rostrum or 'bill'. While various functions (e.g. foraging and hydrodynamic benefits) have been proposed for this structure, until now no study has directly investigated the mechanisms by which billfishes use their rostrum to feed on prey. Here, we present the first unequivocal evidence of how the bill is used by Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) to attack schooling sardines in the open ocean. Using high-speed video-analysis, we show that (i) sailfish manage to insert their bill into sardine schools without eliciting an evasive response and (ii) subsequently use their bill to either tap on individual prey targets or to slash through the school with powerful lateral motions characterized by one of the highest accelerations ever recorded in an aquatic vertebrate. Our results demonstrate that the combination of stealth and rapid motion make the sailfish bill an extremely effective feeding adaptation for capturing schooling prey.

Thermal stability of an interface-stabilized skyrmion lattice.

The thermal stability of the magnetic nano-skyrmion lattice in the monolayer Fe/Ir(111) is investigated using temperature dependent spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy. Our experiments show that the skyrmion lattice disappears at a temperature of T_{c}=27.8 K, indicating a loss of long-range magnetic order. At second-layer iron islands the lattice is pinned and local order persists at temperatures above T_{c}. The findings are explained in terms of the complex magnetic interactions involved in the formation of the skyrmion lattice.

Electric-field-induced magnetic anisotropy in a nanomagnet investigated on the atomic scale.

Magnetoelectric coupling is studied using the electric field between the tip of a spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope and a nanomagnet. Our experiments show that a negative (positive) electric field stabilizes (destabilizes) in-plane magnetization against thermal agitation, whereas it destabilizes (stabilizes) out-of-plane magnetization. We conclude that the electric field E induces a uniaxial anisotropy that favors in-plane magnetization for E<0 and out-of-plane magnetization for E>0. Our experiments demonstrate magnetic manipulation on the atomic scale without exploiting spin or charge currents.

Weak phylogenetic signal in physiological traits of methane-oxidizing bacteria.

The presence of phylogenetic signal is assumed to be ubiquitous. However, for microorganisms, this may not be true given that they display high physiological flexibility and have fast regeneration. This may result in fundamentally different patterns of resemblance, that is, in variable strength of phylogenetic signal. However, in microbiological inferences, trait similarities and therewith microbial interactions with its environment are mostly assumed to follow evolutionary relatedness. Here, we tested whether indeed a straightforward relationship between relatedness and physiological traits exists for aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB). We generated a comprehensive data set that included 30 MOB strains with quantitative physiological trait information. Phylogenetic trees were built from the 16S rRNA gene, a common phylogenetic marker, and the pmoA gene which encodes a subunit of the key enzyme involved in the first step of methane oxidation. We used a Blomberg's K from comparative biology to quantify the strength of phylogenetic signal of physiological traits. Phylogenetic signal was strongest for physiological traits associated with optimal growth pH and temperature indicating that adaptations to habitat are very strongly conserved in MOB. However, those physiological traits that are associated with kinetics of methane oxidation had only weak phylogenetic signals and were more pronounced with the pmoA than with the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny. In conclusion, our results give evidence that approaches based solely on taxonomical information will not yield further advancement on microbial eco-evolutionary interactions with its environment. This is a novel insight on the connection between function and phylogeny within microbes and adds new understanding on the evolution of physiological traits across microbes, plants and animals.

The role of individuality in collective group movement.

How different levels of biological organization interact to shape each other's function is a central question in biology. One particularly important topic in this context is how individuals' variation in behaviour shapes group-level characteristics. We investigated how fish that express different locomotory behaviour in an asocial context move collectively when in groups. First, we established that individual fish have characteristic, repeatable locomotion behaviours (i.e. median speeds, variance in speeds and median turning speeds) when tested on their own. When tested in groups of two, four or eight fish, we found individuals partly maintained their asocial median speed and median turning speed preferences, while their variance in speed preference was lost. The strength of this individuality decreased as group size increased, with individuals conforming to the speed of the group, while also decreasing the variability in their own speed. Further, individuals adopted movement characteristics that were dependent on what group size they were in. This study therefore shows the influence of social context on individual behaviour. If the results found here can be generalized across species and contexts, then although individuality is not entirely lost in groups, social conformity and group-size-dependent effects drive how individuals will adjust their behaviour in groups.

Primary prophylaxis of bacterial infections and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors : guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Working Party (AGIHO) of the German Society of Hematology and Oncology (DGHO).

Bacterial infections are the most common cause for treatment-related mortality in patients with neutropenia after chemotherapy. Here, we discuss the use of antibacterial prophylaxis against bacteria and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in neutropenic cancer patients and offer guidance towards the choice of drug. A literature search was performed to screen all articles published between September 2000 and January 2012 on antibiotic prophylaxis in neutropenic cancer patients. The authors assembled original reports and meta-analysis from the literature and drew conclusions, which were discussed and approved in a consensus conference of the Infectious Disease Working Party of the German Society of Hematology and Oncology (AGIHO). Antibacterial prophylaxis has led to a reduction of febrile events and infections. A significant reduction of overall mortality could only be shown in a meta-analysis. Fluoroquinolones are preferred for antibacterial and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for PCP prophylaxis. Due to serious concerns about an increase of resistant pathogens, only patients at high risk of severe infections should be considered for antibiotic prophylaxis. Risk factors of individual patients and local resistance patterns must be taken into account. Risk factors, choice of drug for antibacterial and PCP prophylaxis and concerns regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics are discussed in the review.

Isolated late metastasis from testicular seminoma presenting as a parotid gland mass: case report and review of the literature.

Parotid metastases from non-head-and-neck cancers are rare and may represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. A late metastasis to the parotid gland from a seminoma is an unusual manifestation of disease. A 45-year-old man with a history of testicular seminoma 5 years earlier presented with a rapidly progressing parotid mass. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a space-occupying lesion at the angle of the right jaw. The mass was infiltrating into the parotid gland and into the parapharyngeal space. A primary parotid neoplasm was suspected, and panendoscopy combined with open biopsy was performed. Histology examination confirmed a seminoma metastatic to the parotid gland, and comparison with the primary tumour showed identical histology. The patient received chemotherapy for recurrent seminoma in accordance with the pei (cisplatin, etoposide, ifosfamide) protocol. After 4 courses of chemotherapy, salvage radical parotidectomy with removal of all suspicious residual tumour tissue was performed. This case illustrates the difficulties that may be encountered in the differential diagnosis of parotid gland masses and underlines the necessity for a detailed clinical history and for strong interdisciplinary collaboration between oncologists and pathologists to correctly diagnose cases with such unusual presentations.