Psychological Aspects of Facial Palsy.

This article discusses the psychological effects of facial palsy (FP) in adults. FP is the abnormal functioning of facial muscles resulting from temporary or permanent damage of the facial nerves. Following facial paralysis, patients can develop motor and psychosocial functioning issues impacting quality of life. In addition, real or perceived judgment in social settings of those with FP increases the risk of low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Currently, most available research focuses on surgical patients and suggests a lack of psychological support throughout the affliction. A multidisciplinary approach when treating patients with FP can help improve the patient's quality of life.

Outcomes of Free Flap Transfer in Facial Reanimation: A Review.

Free functional muscle transfer is is an option for reanimating the face in chronic facial nerve paralysis. The optimal outcome in these patients is the ability to restore a spontaneous smile in response to emotion. We discuss the role of free functional muscle transfer in facial paralysis treatment, the choices of nerve used in reconstruction surgery, and the application of different types of muscle flaps in facial reanimation. In this paper, we review the relevant and up-to-date academic literature regarding the outcomes of free functional muscle flap transfer in facial paralysis patients.

IVC filter - assessing the readability and quality of patient information on the Internet.

OBJECTIVE: The internet is an increasingly favorable source of information regarding health-related issues. The aim of this study is to apply appropriate evaluation tools to assess the evidence available online about inferior vena cava (IVC) filters with a focus on quality and readability. METHODS: A search was performed during December 2022 using three popular search engines, namely Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Websites were categorized into academic, physician, commercial, and unspecified websites according to their content. Information quality was determined using Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria, the DISCERN scoring tool, and whether a Health On the Net Foundation certification (HONcode) seal was present. Readability was established using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). Statistical significance was accepted as P < .05. RESULTS: In total, 110 websites were included in our study. The majority of websites were categorized as commercial (25%), followed by hospital (24%), academic (21%), unspecified (16%), and physician (14%). Average scores for all websites using JAMA and DISCERN were 1.93 ± 1.19 (median, 1.5; range, 0-4) and 45.20 ± 12.58 (median, 45.5; range, 21-75), respectively. The highest JAMA mean score of 3.07 ± 1.16 was allocated to physician websites, and the highest DISCERN mean score of 52.85 ± 12.66 was allocated to hospital websites. The HONcode seal appeared on two of the selected websites. Physician, hospital, and unspecified websites had a significantly higher mean JAMA score than academic and commercial websites (all with P < .001). Hospital websites had a significantly higher mean DISCERN score than academic (P = .007), commercial (P < .001), and unspecified websites (P = .017). Readability evaluation generated a mean FRES score of 51.57 ±12.04, which represented a 10th to 12th grade reading level and a mean FKGL score of 8.20 ± 1.70, which represented an 8th to 10th grade reading level. Only 12 sources were found to meet the ≤6th grade target reading level. No significant correlation was found between overall DISCERN score and overall FRES score. CONCLUSIONS: The study results demonstrate that the quality of online information about IVC filters is suboptimal, and academic and commercial websites, in particular, must enhance their content quality regarding the use of IVC filters. Considering the discontinuation of the HONcode as a standardized quality assessment marker, it is recommended that a similar certification tool be developed and implemented for the accreditation of patient information online.

The Readability and Quality of Web-Based Patient Information on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Quantitative Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare disease that is strongly associated with exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus and is characterized by the formation of malignant cells in nasopharynx tissues. Early diagnosis of NPC is often difficult owing to the location of initial tumor sites and the nonspecificity of initial symptoms, resulting in a higher frequency of advanced-stage diagnoses and a poorer prognosis. Access to high-quality, readable information could improve the early detection of the disease and provide support to patients during disease management. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the quality and readability of publicly available web-based information in the English language about NPC, using the most popular search engines. METHODS: Key terms relevant to NPC were searched across 3 of the most popular internet search engines: Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The top 25 results from each search engine were included in the analysis. Websites that contained text written in languages other than English, required paywall access, targeted medical professionals, or included nontext content were excluded. Readability for each website was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease score and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level. Website quality was assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and DISCERN tools as well as the presence of a Health on the Net Foundation seal. RESULTS: Overall, 57 suitable websites were included in this study; 26% (15/57) of the websites were academic. The mean JAMA and DISCERN scores of all websites were 2.80 (IQR 3) and 57.60 (IQR 19), respectively, with a median of 3 (IQR 2-4) and 61 (IQR 49-68), respectively. Health care industry websites (n=3) had the highest mean JAMA score of 4 (SD 0). Academic websites (15/57, 26%) had the highest mean DISCERN score of 77.5. The Health on the Net Foundation seal was present on only 1 website, which also achieved a JAMA score of 3 and a DISCERN score of 50. Significant differences were observed between the JAMA score of hospital websites and the scores of industry websites (P=.04), news service websites (P<.048), charity and nongovernmental organization websites (P=.03). Despite being a vital source for patients, general practitioner websites were found to have significantly lower JAMA scores compared with charity websites (P=.05). The overall mean readability scores reflected an average reading age of 14.3 (SD 1.1) years. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest an inconsistent and suboptimal quality of information related to NPC on the internet. On average, websites presented readability challenges, as written information about NPC was above the recommended reading level of sixth grade. As such, web-based information requires improvement in both quality and accessibility, and healthcare providers should be selective about information recommended to patients, ensuring they are reliable and readable.

Impacts of regular consumption of grapes on macular pigment accumulation in Singapore older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Oxidative stress is a key risk factor for visual impairment and consuming dietary antioxidant-rich foods may help in managing visual impairments. However, a limited number of studies have investigated the effect of dietary antioxidant-rich food including grapes on eye health in older adults. Objectives: To assess the effects on macular pigment accumulation of regular consumption of grapes in Singapore older adults. Methods: This was a 16 week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Thirty-four Singapore older adults were randomized into regularly consuming either 46 g day-1 of freeze-dried table grape powder (the intervention group) or the same amount of placebo powder (the control group). Macular pigment optical density (MPOD), skin carotenoid status, advanced glycation end product (AGEs) status and dietary lutein intake were assessed every 4 weeks, and plasma lutein concentration, total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content were measured every 8 weeks. Results: A significant time effect (p = 0.007) was observed for MPOD, and this is largely attributed to the improvement in the MPOD for the intervention group, as a significant increase was observed only in this group (week 0: 0.56 ± 0.04 D.U.; week 16: 0.61 ± 0.04 D.U., p < 0.01). Additionally, a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity (week 0: 0.26 ± 0.13 mM TEAC; week 16: 0.36 ± 0.20 mM TEAC, p < 0.01) and total phenolic content (week 0: 10.50 ± 0.44 mg L-1 GAE; week 16: 12.58 ± 0.55 mg L-1 GAE, p < 0.001) was observed for the intervention group only. In contrast, a significant increase in skin AGE status was observed in the control group (week 0: 2.47 ± 0.24; week 16: 2.99 ± 0.12, p < 0.05) while this was mitigated in the intervention group. There were no differences in dietary lutein intake, plasma lutein concentration and skin carotenoid status between groups throughout the study. Conclusions: Regular intake of grapes may improve eye health in Singapore older adults, specifically in augmenting MPOD, which can be explained by an increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity and phenolic content, and the downregulation of AGEs. This study was registered at clinicatrials.gov as NCT05064865.

Bibliometric analysis of the top 100 cited articles in breast radiology.

Objective: Bibliometrics analysis is a widely used approach that enables influential research within specific fields to be identifiedTo identify the 100 most-cited articles in breast radiology and analyse the trend in breast imaging research. Methods and materials: A systematic search was conducted using the Thomson Rheuters Web of Science database. The results were ranked according to citation count and screened to create a single database. Data including first author, year of publication, journal, country of origin, primary institution, number of citations and average number of citations per year were extracted, as well as the impact factor and the 5-year impact factor of journals publishing the articles. Results: The systematic search yielded a total of 114,426 articles, after filters were applied to include papers that were available in English only. Citations for the 100 most-cited articles ranged from 515 to 3660. Half of the articles on the list were published between 2001 and 2010. Radiology has the most number of publications (n = 17), followed by JAMA-Journal of The American Medical Association (n = 9). CA-A Cancer Journal For Clinicians had the highest impact factor of 286.13. Mammogram (n = 49) was the most commonly studied modality, followed by Magnetic Resonance (n = 26). The most common topic of publication was diagnosis (n = 83). Conclusion: This research serves as a guide to the most influential articles on the topic of breast radiology.

New metrics of dietary carbohydrate quality.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this study was to introduce novel metrics of dietary carbohydrates quality relevant for products and diets. RECENT FINDINGS: Carbohydrate quality has long been associated with a low glycemic index. More recently, novel metrics of carbohydrate quality featuring variations of total carbohydrates-fibers-free sugars ratios have been applied to carbohydrate-rich foods, including grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit. High scoring products had higher levels of health-promoting nutrients (protein, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, selenium, and various B-vitamins) and lower levels of nutrients of public health concern (total sugar, added/free sugars, and fat profile). Cross-sectional studies also found variants of carbohydrate quality metrics to be associated with better markers of cardiometabolic disease, including lower levels of blood triglycerides:high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and SBP. SUMMARY: New ratio-based carbohydrate quality metrics are built around high fiber and whole grain content, combined with a low free sugar content. Such metrics allow the identification of food products of higher overall nutritional quality, and are associated with improved diet quality and certain health outcomes.

Is Disrupted Mitophagy a Central Player to Parkinson's Disease Pathology?

Whilst the pathophysiology at a cellular level has been defined, the cause of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains poorly understood. This neurodegenerative disorder is associated with impaired dopamine transmission in the substantia nigra, and protein accumulations known as Lewy bodies are visible in affected neurons. Cell culture models of PD have indicated impaired mitochondrial function, so the focus of this paper is on the quality control processes involved in and around mitochondria. Mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) is the process through which defective mitochondria are removed from the cell by internalisation into autophagosomes which fuse with a lysosome. This process involves many proteins, notably including PINK1 and parkin, both of which are known to be coded on genes associated with PD. Normally in healthy individuals, PINK1 associates with the outer mitochondrial membrane, which then recruits parkin, activating it to attach ubiquitin proteins to the mitochondrial membrane. PINK1, parkin, and ubiquitin cooperate to form a positive feedback system which accelerates the deposition of ubiquitin on dysfunctional mitochondria, resulting in mitophagy. However, in hereditary PD, the genes encoding PINK1 and parkin are mutated, resulting in proteins that are less efficient at removing poorly performing mitochondria, leaving cells more vulnerable to oxidative stress and ubiquitinated inclusion bodies, such as Lewy bodies. Current research that looks into the connection between mitophagy and PD is promising, already yielding potentially therapeutic compounds; until now, pharmacological support for the mitophagy process has not been part of the therapeutic arsenal. Continued research in this area is warranted.

Measures of carbohydrate quality and their association with diet quality and cardiometabolic health outcomes in Singapore middle-aged and older adults.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Carbohydrate quality may play a key role in cardiometabolic health and disease risk. This study aimed to assess the dietary carbohydrate quality of the free-living middle-aged and older adults in Singapore, and its association with overall diet quality and cardiometabolic health. METHODS AND RESULTS: This cross-sectional study examined the diet and cardiometabolic disease risk indicators of middle-aged and older adults in Singapore (n = 104). Dietary carbohydrate quality was assessed as the pass and fail rate of the population to four measures of carbohydrate quality: (i) dietary fiber recommended daily allowance (RDA), (ii) whole-grain recommendation, (iii) free sugar recommendation, and (iv) carbohydrate metrics. The association between each carbohydrate quality measure and diet quality, as well as cardiometabolic health, was assessed. Except for free sugar recommendation, the carbohydrate quality of the population was found to be poor with a low adherence (20-36%) to three measures. Subjects meeting these measures had generally higher intakes of fiber, protein, and most micronutrients compared with subjects who failed. Meeting different variants of the carbohydrate metrics was associated with 60% lower odds of pre-hypertensive blood pressure (p = 0.037; p = 0.047), and meeting the dietary fiber RDA was associated with lower waist circumference (p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: An improvement in carbohydrate quality is warranted among free-living middle-aged and older adults in Singapore. Not all measures of carbohydrate quality were equally effective in preserving overall diet quality; the carbohydrate metrics and dietary fiber RDA can be identified as effective measures in relation to cardiometabolic disease risk. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03554954, 13 Sept. 2018.

The 100 Most-Cited Manuscripts in Hearing Implants: A Bibliometrics Analysis.

The aim of the study was to characterise the most frequently cited articles on the topic of hearing implants. A systematic search was carried out using the Thomson Reuters Web of Science Core Collection database. Eligibility criteria restricted the results to primary studies and reviews published from 1970 to 2022 in English dealing primarily with hearing implants. Data including the authors, year of publication, journal, country of origin, number of citations and average number of citations per year were extracted, as well as the impact factors and five-year impact factor of journals publishing the articles. The top 100 papers were published across 23 journals and were cited 23,139 times. The most-cited and influential article describes the first use of the continuous interleaved sampling (CIS) strategy utilised in all modern cochlear implants. More than half of the studies on the list were produced by authors from the United States, and the Ear and Hearing journal had both the greatest number of articles and the greatest number of total citations. To conclude, this research serves as a guide to the most influential articles on the topic of hearing implants, although bibliometric analyses mainly focus on citations. The most-cited article was an influential description of CIS.

Impact of fiber-fortified food consumption on anthropometric measurements and cardiometabolic outcomes: A systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions of randomized controlled trials.

The consumption of processed and refined food lacking in fiber has led to global prevalence of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. Fiber-fortification into these foods can yield potential health improvements to reduce disease risk. This meta-analyses aimed to evaluate how fiber-fortified food consumption changes body composition, blood pressure, blood lipid-lipoprotein panel, and glycemic-related markers. Searches were performed from 5 databases, with 31 randomized controlled trial eventually analyzed. Hedges' g values (95% confidence interval [CI]) attained from outcome change values were calculated using random-effects model. Fiber-fortified food significantly reduced body weight (-0.31 [-0.59, -0.03]), fat mass (-0.49 [-0.72, -0.26]), total cholesterol (-0.54 [-0.71, -0.36]), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-0.49 [-0.65, -0.33]), triglycerides (-0.24 [-0.36, -0.12]), fasting glucose (-0.30 [-0.49, -0.12]), and HbA1c (-0.44 [-0.74, -0.13]). Subgroup analysis differentiated soluble fiber as significantly reducing triglycerides and insulin while insoluble fiber significantly reduced body weight, BMI, and HbA1c. Greater outcome improvements were observed with solid/semi-solid food state than liquid state. Additionally, fiber fortification of <15 g/day induced more health outcome benefits compared to ≥15 g/day, although meta-regression found a dose-dependent improvement to waist circumference (p-value = 0.036). Findings from this study suggest that consuming food fortified with dietary fiber can improve anthropometric and cardiometabolic outcomes.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2053658.

Agency in schizophrenia and autism: a systematic review.

Introduction: Previous research suggests that altered experiences of agency are an underlying vulnerability in both schizophrenia and autism. Here, we explore agency as a potential transdiagnostic factor by conducting a systematic review of existing literature investigating agency in autism and schizophrenia individually and together. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted three systematic searches on PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, PubMed and Web of Science to identify studies that investigated (1) agency in schizophrenia, (2) agency in autism, and (3) agency in both schizophrenia and autism. Results: A total of 31 articles met eligibility criteria for inclusion and data extraction, with 24 measuring agency in schizophrenia, 7 investigating agency in autism, and no articles comparing the two. Results show that, compared to control populations, agency is significantly different in every identified schizophrenia study and generally not significantly different in autism. Discussion: Importantly, we identified a lack of studies using common tasks and a disproportionate number of studies investigating different dimensions of agency across the two conditions, resulting in limited grounds for valid comparison. Systematic review registration: Prospero, CRD42021273373.

DNA Barcoding of Potential Mosquito Disease Vectors (Diptera, Culicidae) in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.

The conventional morphological characterization of mosquito species remains heavily used for species identification in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. It requires substantial expertise and time, as well as having difficulty in confirming identity of morphologically similar species. Therefore, to establish a reliable and accurate identification system that can be applied to understanding spatial distribution of local mosquito species from the Jazan region, DNA barcoding was explored as an integrated tool for mosquito species identification. In this study, 44 adult mosquito specimens were analyzed, which contain 16 species belong to three genera of potential mosquito disease vectors (Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex). The specimens were collected from the Jazan region located in southwest Saudi Arabia. These included old and preserved mosquito voucher specimens. In addition, we assessed the genetic distance based on the generated mitochondrial partial COI DNA barcodes to detect cryptic diversity across these taxa. Nine mosquito species belonging to three genera were successfully barcoded and submitted to GenBank, namely: Aedes aegypti, Aedes caspius, Aedes vexans, Aedes vittatus, Anopheles arabiensis, Culex pipiens, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex sitiens, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Of these nine species, Aedes vexans, Aedes vittatus, Culex sitiens, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus were registered in GenBank for the first time from Saudi Arabia. The DNA barcodes generated a 100% match to known barcodes of these mosquito species, that also matched with the morphological identification. Ae. vexans was found to be either a case of cryptic species (subspecies) or a new species from the region. However, more research has to be conducted to prove the latter. This study directly contributes to the development of a molecular reference library of mosquito species from the Jazan region and Saudi Arabia. The library is essential for confirmation of species in support of existing mosquito surveillance and control programmes.

Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) Consumption with a Healthy Dietary Pattern Lowers Oxidative Stress in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Incorporating zeaxanthin-rich wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) into a healthy dietary pattern may augment its antioxidant potential. The present 16-week, parallel design randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the impact of adhering to a healthy dietary pattern, either with or without whole dried wolfberry (15 g/d) on oxidative stress status (plasma malondialdehyde and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α) in middle-aged and older adults. Changes to carotenoids status (plasma and skin carotenoids) and body composition were further evaluated to explore potential mechanisms which underlie the antioxidant properties of wolfberry. Plasma 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, plasma zeaxanthin and skin carotenoids status were significantly raised in the wolfberry consuming group (n = 22; p < 0.05) compared to the control group which showed no changes (n = 18). Likewise in the wolfberry group only, inverse association was observed between the change values of plasma zeaxanthin and plasma 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (-0.21 (-0.43, 0.00) ng/µmol, regression coefficient (95% CI); p = 0.05). Wolfberry consumption with a healthy dietary pattern may serve as a dietary strategy to attenuate lipid peroxidation among middle-aged and older adults who are at a heightened risk of oxidative stress induced age-related disorders. The antioxidant properties of wolfberry may be attributed to its rich zeaxanthin content.

Mirabegron in Overactive Bladder and Its Role in Exit Strategy After Botulinum Toxin Treatment in Children.

PURPOSE: Mirabegron is a recent addition to the management options of overactive bladder (OAB) in children. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the role of Mirabegron in the treatment algorithm of therapy-resistant OAB especially after botulinum toxin. METHODS: Case notes of all children receiving Mirabegron between July 2017 and February 2020 were reviewed. RESULTS: Forty one children (21 females, 20 males), mean age 12.6 [8-17] years old, commenced Mirabegron: 35 idiopathic OAB, 6 neuropathic OAB. The mean duration of treatment was 20.7 [3-45] months. In total 24 (59%) had Mirabegron after partial/no response to anticholinergics, and 17 (41%) patients had Mirabegron subsequent to botulinum toxin A (BtA) as an exit strategy. In total 35 (85%) patients had combination therapy (Mirabegron and anticholinergics), and 6 (15%) patients had Mirabegron only. Fourteen (34%) had complete response, 17 (41%) had partial response, and 10 (24%) had no response. Side effects were reported in 7 (17%) patients with discontinuation necessitated in 3. CONCLUSION: Mirabegron when used alone or in combination with anticholinergics resulted in complete/partial response in 76% of anticholinergic therapy-resistant OAB. In addition to being an important step in treatment escalation after no/partial response to anticholinergics, it has a crucial role in the exit strategy for recurring symptoms after BtA wears off.

An Assessment of Three Carbohydrate Metrics of Nutritional Quality for Packaged Foods and Beverages in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Carbohydrate quality is an aetiological factor of diet-related disease. Indices of carbohydrate quality featuring various ratios of carbohydrates-to-dietary fibre-to-sugar have been associated with improved product and/or diet quality in westernised countries. Carbohydrate intake is especially high in Asia Pacific. Thus, this study evaluated the ability of such carbohydrate metrics to discriminate the nutritional quality of carbohydrate-rich packaged foods and beverages in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, with an additional focus on beverages. This evaluation was conducted by comparing product nutritional composition and assessing products against three national nutrient profiling models. Results showed that Australia had the highest proportion of products meeting all metrics, compared to the Southeast Asian countries. Beverages had a low adherence to all metrics compared to solid foods. Across the five countries, both processed food and beverages meeting the metrics generally contained higher dietary fibre, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals whilst having lower energy, total sugars, free sugars, trans fat and cholesterol content compared to products not meeting the metrics. The metrics were also aligned with national nutrient profiling models to identify nutritious products. In conclusion, these metrics allowed us to discriminate product nutritional quality in the countries assessed and are applicable to beverages.

Association of Sleep Quality and Macronutrient Distribution: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression.

Sleep is involved in metabolic, emotional and cognitive regulation and is therefore an essential part of our health. Although an association between sleep quality and macronutrient intake has been reported, studies on the effect of macronutrient distribution with sleep quality are limited, and available results are inconsistent. In this study, we aim to assess the association between sleep quality and macronutrient distribution in healthy adults from systematically reviewed cross-sectional studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A total of 19 relevant articles were selected and it was observed that good sleepers (sleep duration ≥ 7 h, global sleep score ≤ 5, sleep latency ≤ 30 min and sleep efficiency >85%) had a higher energy distribution from dietary protein than poor sleepers. On the other hand, good sleepers showed a relatively lower percentage of energy from dietary carbohydrate and fat than poor sleepers. However, meta-regression analysis revealed no dose-dependent association between the macronutrient distributions and sleep duration. These results suggest that consuming a greater proportion of dietary protein may benefit on improving sleep quality in healthy adults. However, findings may be susceptible to reverse causality and additional RCTs are needed.

Predicting Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load from Macronutrients to Accelerate Development of Foods and Beverages with Lower Glucose Responses.

Low glycemic index (GI) and/or low glycemic load (GL) are associated with decreased risks of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is therefore relevant to consider GI and GL in the early phases of the development of packaged foods and beverages. This paper proposes a model that predicts GI and GL from macronutrient composition, by quantifying both the impact of glycemic carbohydrates and the GI-lowering effects of nutrients such as proteins, fats and fibers. The precision of the model is illustrated using data on 42 breakfast cereals. The predictions of GI (r = 0.90, median residual = 2.0) and GL (r = 0.96, median residual = 0.40 g) compete well with the precision of the underlying in-vivo data (Standard Error SE = 3.5 for GI). This model can guide product development towards lowering GI and GL, before final confirmation by in vivo testing.

Four hundred shades of brown: Higher level phylogeny of the problematic Euptychiina (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) based on hybrid enrichment data.

Relationships within satyrine butterflies have been notoriously difficult to resolve using both morphology and Sanger sequencing methods, and this is particularly true for the mainly Neotropical subtribe Euptychiina, which contains about 400 described species. Known larvae of Euptychiina feed on grasses and sedges, with the exception of the genus Euptychia, which feed on mosses and lycopsids, and the butterflies occur widely in rainforest, cloudforest and grassland habitats, where they are often abundant. Several previous molecular and morphological studies have made significant progress in tackling the systematics of the group, but many relationships remain unresolved, with long-branch-attraction artifacts being a major problem. Additionally, the monophyly of the clade remains uncertain, with Euptychia possibly not being closely related to the remainder of the clade. Here we present a backbone phylogeny of the subtribe based on 106 taxa, 368 nuclear loci, and over 180,000 bps obtained through hybrid enrichment. Using both concatenation and species tree approaches (IQ-TREE, EXABAYES, ASTRAL), we can for the first time strongly confirm the monophyly of Euptychiina with Euptychia being the sister group to the remainder of the clade. The Euptychiina is divided into nine well supported clades, but the placement of a few genera such as Hermeuptychia, Pindis and the Chloreuptychia catharina group still remain uncertain. As partially indicated in previous studies, the genera Cissia, Chloreuptychia, Magneuptychia, Megisto, Splendeuptychia and Euptychoides, among others, were found to be highly polyphyletic and revisions are in preparation. The phylogeny will provide a strong backbone for the analysis of datasets in development that are much more taxonomically comprehensive but have orders of magnitude fewer loci. This study therefore represents a critical step towards resolving the higher classification and studying the evolution of this highly diverse lineage.