Determinants of microbiome composition: Insights from free-ranging hybrid zebras (Equus quagga × grevyi).

The composition of mammalian gut microbiomes is highly conserved within species, yet the mechanisms by which microbiome composition is transmitted and maintained within lineages of wild animals remain unclear. Mutually compatible hypotheses exist, including that microbiome fidelity results from inherited dietary habits, shared environmental exposure, morphophysiological filtering and/or maternal effects. Interspecific hybrids are a promising system in which to interrogate the determinants of microbiome composition because hybrids can decouple traits and processes that are otherwise co-inherited in their parent species. We used a population of free-living hybrid zebras (Equus quagga × grevyi) in Kenya to evaluate the roles of these four mechanisms in regulating microbiome composition. We analysed faecal DNA for both the trnL-P6 and the 16S rRNA V4 region to characterize the diets and microbiomes of the hybrid zebra and of their parent species, plains zebra (E. quagga) and Grevy's zebra (E. grevyi). We found that both diet and microbiome composition clustered by species, and that hybrid diets and microbiomes were largely nested within those of the maternal species, plains zebra. Hybrid microbiomes were less variable than those of either parent species where they co-occurred. Diet and microbiome composition were strongly correlated, although the strength of this correlation varied between species. These patterns are most consistent with the maternal-effects hypothesis, somewhat consistent with the diet hypothesis, and largely inconsistent with the environmental-sourcing and morphophysiological-filtering hypotheses. Maternal transmittance likely operates in conjunction with inherited feeding habits to conserve microbiome composition within species.

Airway disease decreases the therapeutic potential of epithelial stem cells.

BACKGORUND: Tissue-engineered tracheal grafts (TETG) can be recellularized by the host or pre-seeded with host-derived cells. However, the impact of airway disease on the recellularization process is unknown. METHODS: In this study, we determined if airway disease alters the regenerative potential of the human tracheobronchial epithelium (hTBE) obtained by brushing the tracheal mucosa during clinically-indicated bronchoscopy from 48 pediatric and six adult patients. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that basal cell recovery and frequency did not vary by age or region. At passage 1, all samples produced enough cells to cellularize a 3.5 by 0.5 cm2 graft scaffold at low cell density (~ 7000 cells/cm2), and 43.75% could cellularize a scaffold at high cell density (~ 100,000 cells/cm2). At passage 2, all samples produced the number of cells required for both recellularization models. Further evaluation revealed that six pediatric samples (11%) and three (50%) adult samples contained basal cells with a squamous basal phenotype. These cells did not form a polarized epithelium or produce differentiated secretory or ciliated cells. In the pediatric population, the squamous basal cell phenotype was associated with degree of prematurity (< 28 weeks, 64% vs. 13%, p = 0.02), significant pulmonary history (83% vs. 34%, p = 0.02), specifically with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (67% vs. 19%, p = 0.01), and patients who underwent previous tracheostomy (67% vs. 23%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, screening high-risk pediatric or adult population based on clinical risk factors and laboratory findings could define appropriate candidates for airway reconstruction with tracheal scaffolds. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III Cohort study.

Egg patterns as identity signals in colonial seabirds: a comparison of four alcid species.

The ability to recognize mates, kin, offspring and neighbors by their individually distinctive traits-individual recognition (IR)-is widespread in animals. Much work has investigated IR from the perspective of the recognizer, but less is known about the extent to which signals have evolved to facilitate IR. To explore this, one approach is to compare putative identity signals among species that differ in life history and extent of IR. In Common Murres (Uria aalge), a colonially breeding seabird, the eggs of individual females are remarkably variable in terms of color and pattern (maculation). Common Murres also appear to recognize their own eggs, leading to the hypothesis that variable egg phenotypes evolved to promote recognizability. However, we lack a quantitative assessment of the egg pattern information in Common Murres and their close relatives. Here, we analyzed images of eggs laid by four alcid species: Common Murres, Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia), Razorbills (Alca torda) and Dovekies (Alle alle). We extracted pattern measures believed to be relevant to bird vision and calculated Beecher's information statistic (Hs ), which allowed us to compare the amount of identity information contained in each species' egg patterns. Murres, which nest in dense colonies and can recognize their own eggs, have egg patterns with a relatively large amount of identity information compared to Razorbills and Dovekies. Egg recognition has not been demonstrated in Razorbills and Dovekies, whose colonies are less dense. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that complex patterns of Murre eggs may have evolved to increase individual recognizability.

Nutritional Needs of the Infant with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Growth failure is a common problem in infants with established bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Suboptimal growth for infants with BPD is associated with unfavorable respiratory and neurodevelopmental outcomes; however, high-quality evidence to support best nutritional practices are limited for this vulnerable patient population. Consequently, there exists a wide variation in the provision of nutritional care and monitoring of growth for infants with BPD. Other neonatal populations at risk for growth failure, such as infants with congenital heart disease, have demonstrated improved growth outcomes with the creation and compliance of clinical protocols to guide nutritional management. Developing clinical protocols to guide nutritional management for infants with BPD may similarly improve long-term outcomes. Given the absence of high-quality trials to guide nutritional practice in infants with BPD, the best available evidence of systematic reviews and clinical recommendations can be applied to optimize growth and decrease variation in the care of these infants.

Managing established bronchopulmonary dysplasia without using routine blood gas measurements.

OBJECTIVE: Routine blood gas measurements are common in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD) and are a noxious stimulus. We developed a guideline-driven approach to evaluate the care of infants with sBPD without routine blood gas sampling in the chronic phase of NICU care (after diagnosis at 36 weeks PMA). STUDY DESIGN: We examined blood gas utilization and outcomes in our sBPD inpatient care unit using data collected between 2014 and 2020. RESULTS: 485 sBPD infants met inclusion criteria, and 303 (62%) never had a blood gas obtained after 36 weeks PMA. In infants who had blood gas measurements, the median number of total blood gases per patient was only 4 (IQR 1-10). We did not identify adverse effects on hospital outcomes in patients without routine blood gas measurements. CONCLUSIONS: We found that patients with established BPD could be managed without routine blood gas analyses after 36 weeks PMA.

Number of children in the household influences respiratory morbidities in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the outpatient setting.

BACKGROUND: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common complication of prematurity, is associated with outpatient morbidities, including respiratory exacerbations. Daycare attendance is associated with increased rates of acute and chronic morbidities in children with BPD. We sought to determine if additional children in the household conferred similar risks for children with BPD. METHODS: The number of children in the household and clinical outcomes were obtained via validated instruments for 933 subjects recruited from 13 BPD specialty clinics in the United States. Clustered logistic regression models were used to test for associations. RESULTS: The mean gestational age of the study population was 26.5 ± 2.2 weeks and most subjects (69.1%) had severe BPD. The mean number of children in households (including the subject) was 2.1 ± 1.3 children. Each additional child in the household was associated with a 13% increased risk for hospital admission, 13% increased risk for antibiotic use for respiratory illnesses, 10% increased risk for coughing/wheezing/shortness of breath, 14% increased risk for nighttime symptoms, and 18% increased risk for rescue medication use. Additional analyses found that the increased risks were most prominent when there were three or more other children in the household. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that additional children in the household were a risk factor for adverse respiratory outcomes. We speculate that secondary person-to-person transmission of respiratory viral infections drives this finding. While this risk factor is not easily modified, measures do exist to mitigate this disease burden. Further studies are needed to define best practices for mitigating this risk associated with household viral transmission.

Openness, right-wing authoritarianism, and antigay prejudice in college students: a mediational model.

Research has indicated that people who are more open to novel and diverse experiences express less prejudicial views concerning minority group members. The openness-prejudice relationship, however, may be mediated by the degree to which individuals adhere to traditional social convention and absolutist thinking patterns. Thus, informed by the Dual-Process Cognitive-Motivational Model of ideology and prejudice (Duckitt, 2001; Duckitt & Sibley, 2009) and the Five-Factor Model of personality (Costa & McCrae, 1992; McCrae & Costa, 2003), we investigated right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) as a mediator of the relationship between openness and antigay prejudice. Participants were college students from universities in the mid-Atlantic (Sample 1, n = 199) and southeastern (Sample 2, n = 244) United States. Hypotheses were tested in both samples. First, bivariate relations among openness, RWA, and antigay prejudice were assessed. Second, RWA was tested was a mediator of the relationship between openness and antigay prejudice. Results supported expected bivariate associations in that openness negatively, and RWA positively, associated with antigay prejudice. Moreover, results showed that RWA mediates the negative relationship between openness and antigay prejudice. Implications of the supported model are discussed with respect to antigay prejudice theory as well as prejudice-reduction interventions for use on college campuses.

NHS Tayside: implementing the Scottish antenatal parent education pack.

In 2011, the Scottish antenatal parent education pack was launched. The pack consisted of a national core syllabus, a parent education resources manual and accompanying toolkit and a training course. This article looks at how NHS Tayside has taken the core syllabus and resource manual as guidance and, using many of the teaching aids contained in the toolkit, has developed workbooks for key topics. This will support our aim to provide a quality parent education programme for women and their families across Tayside.

Nutritional Strategies to Optimize Outcomes among Infants with Congenital Heart Disease.

Growth failure is common among infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), affecting approximately half of all infants with CHD. Achieving good growth is difficult secondary to both cardiac and noncardiac factors that affect energy expenditure and nutritional intake. Growth failure is associated with poor outcomes, including mortality, prolonged length of hospital stay, delayed cardiac surgery, postoperative complications, and neurodevelopmental delay. Clinical practice varies widely when it comes to how nutrition is managed in these infants, with varying approaches to enteral feeding initiation, advancement, and discontinuation. This variation persists despite several practice guidelines that have been created in recent years to guide nutritional care. Standardized feeding protocols have been proven to reduce growth failure and improve outcomes for this patient population. Centers and clinicians should be encouraged to adopt existing guidelines, or create their own from evidence-based literature, to improve growth and outcomes for infants with CHD.

When Potential Allies and Targets Do (and Do Not) Confront Anti-Asian Prejudice: Reactions to Blatant and Subtle Prejudice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Anti-Asian xenophobia has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, after U.S. political leaders promoted anti-Asian rhetoric from its start. Confronting prejudice interrupts future perpetration of such prejudice, but confronting prejudice can only occur to the extent actions are first attributed to prejudice. Bystanders may attribute less prejudice to speech about the "Chinese Virus" than to more blatant stereotype expression, for example, and therefore be less vehement in their confrontations. Across two studies, we examined the impact of anti-Asian prejudice type (blatant, subtle, or no prejudice) and bystander race/ethnicity (White or Asian American/Pacific Islander [AAPI]), on prejudice attribution, willingness to confront, actual confrontation, and confrontation vehemence. In the context of a hiring manager justifying rejection of a Chinese applicant, we predicted that blatant prejudice would be detected and confronted most willingly, and subtle prejudice more willingly than no prejudice, and that prejudice detection would mediate the relationship between prejudice type and willingness to confront. Further, we expected AAPI bystanders to detect anti-Asian prejudice more readily than White bystanders, but to confront at lower rates, with actual confrontations being more vehement following blatant (relative to subtle or no) prejudice. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 27 and the PROCESS v4.1 macro, controlling for potential confounds such as political orientation and individual-level prejudice (expressed or perceived). Results of both studies (n = 142 [Study 1], n = 274 [Study 2]) supported hypotheses, except in Study 1 bystanders exposed to subtle prejudice were no more willing to confront than no-prejudice controls. Results of exploratory analyses indicated that attribution to prejudice was the primary obstacle to confrontation following subtle prejudice, whereas action taking was the primary obstacle following blatant prejudice. This research underscores the need for interventions to increase detection of all forms of anti-Asian prejudice and to provide would-be confronters with effective confrontation tools.

Multidisciplinary bronchopulmonary dysplasia care.

INTRODUCTION: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic respiratory disease in neonates and infants, which often presents with multisystem organ involvement, co-morbidities, and prolonged hospital stays. Therefore, a multidisciplinary chronic care approach is needed in the severest forms of BPD to optimize outcomes. However, this approach can be challenging to implement. The objective of this article is to review and synthesize the available literature regarding multidisciplinary care in infants and children with established BPD, and to provide a framework that can guide clinical practice and future research. AREAS COVERED: A literature search was conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Embase and several components of multidisciplinary management of BPD were identified and reviewed, including chronic care, team development, team members, discharge planning, and outpatient care. EXPERT OPINION: Establishing a core multidisciplinary group familiar with the chronicity of established BPD is recommended as best practice for this population. Acknowledging this is not feasible for all individual centers, it is important for clinical practice and future research to focus on the development and incorporation of national consulting services, telemedicine, and educational resources.

A review and guide to nutritional care of the infant with established bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most common long-term morbidity of premature birth, and the incidence of BPD is not declining despite medical advancements. Infants with BPD are at high risk for postnatal growth failure and are often treated with therapies that suppress growth. Additionally, these infants may display excess weight gain relative to linear growth. Optimal growth and nutrition are needed to promote lung growth and repair, improve long-term pulmonary function, and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. Linear growth in particular has been associated with favorable outcomes yet can be difficult to achieve in these patients. While there has been a significant clinical and research focus regarding BPD prevention and early preterm nutrition, there is a lack of literature regarding nutritional care of the infant with established BPD. There is even less information regarding how nutritional needs change as BPD evolves from an acute to chronic disease. This article reviews the current literature regarding nutritional challenges, enteral nutrition management, and monitoring for patients with established BPD. Additionally, this article provides a practical framework for interdisciplinary nutritional care based on our clinical experience at the Comprehensive Center for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Respiratory management of established severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Respiratory management of infants with established severe BPD is difficult and there is little evidence upon which to base decisions. Nonetheless, the physiology of severe BPD is well described with a predominantly obstructive pattern. This pulmonary dysfunction results in prolonged exhalatory time constants and thus ventilator management must be focused on maintaining adequate oxygenation and ventilation through achieving full exhalation. This approach is often difficult to maintain in acute care settings and a culture of chronic care focused on slow change and steady progress is imperative. Once respiratory stability is achieved, the focus should shift to growth and development and avoidance of care practices and medications that impair neurodevelopment.

Tracheostomy in Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-How to Decide in the Absence of Evidence.

Infants with the most severe forms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) may require long-term invasive positive pressure ventilation for survival, therefore necessitating tracheostomy. Although life-saving, tracheostomy has also been associated with high mortality, postoperative complications, high readmission rates, neurodevelopmental impairment, and significant caregiver burden, making it a highly complex and challenging decision. However, for some infants tracheostomy may be necessary for survival and the only way to facilitate a timely and safe transition home. The specific indications for tracheostomy and the timing of the procedure in infants with severe BPD are currently unknown. Hence, centers and clinicians display broad variations in practice with regard to tracheostomy, which presents barriers to designing evidence-generating studies and establishing a consensus approach. As the incidence of severe BPD continues to rise, the question remains, how do we decide on tracheostomy to provide optimal outcomes for these patients?

Igneous meteorites suggest Aluminium-26 heterogeneity in the early Solar Nebula.

The short-lived radionuclide aluminium-26 (26Al) isotope is a major heat source for early planetary melting. The aluminium-26 - magnesium-26 (26Al-26Mg) decay system also serves as a high-resolution relative chronometer. In both cases, however, it is critical to establish whether 26Al was homogeneously or heterogeneously distributed throughout the solar nebula. Here we report a precise lead-207 - lead-206 (207Pb-206Pb) isotopic age of 4565.56 ± 0.12 million years (Ma) for the andesitic achondrite Erg Chech 002. Our analysis, in conjunction with published 26Al-26Mg data, reveals that the initial 26Al/27Al in the source material of this achondrite was notably higher than in various other well-preserved and precisely dated achondrites. Here we demonstrate that the current data clearly indicate spatial heterogeneity of 26Al by a factor of 3-4 in the precursor molecular cloud or the protoplanetary disk of the Solar System, likely associated with the late infall of stellar materials with freshly synthesized radionuclides.

Respiratory Outcomes for Ventilator-Dependent Children With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

OBJECTIVES: To describe outpatient respiratory outcomes and center-level variability among children with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) who require tracheostomy and long-term mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of subjects with severe BPD, born between 2016 and 2021, who received tracheostomy and were discharged on home ventilator support from 12 tertiary care centers participating in the BPD Collaborative Outpatient Registry. Timing of key respiratory events including time to tracheostomy placement, initial hospital discharge, first outpatient clinic visit, liberation from the ventilator, and decannulation were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Differences between centers for the timing of events were assessed via log-rank tests. RESULTS: There were 155 patients who met inclusion criteria. Median age at the time of the study was 32 months. The median age of tracheostomy placement was 5 months (48 weeks' postmenstrual age). The median ages of hospital discharge and first respiratory clinic visit were 10 months and 11 months of age, respectively. During the study period, 64% of the subjects were liberated from the ventilator at a median age of 27 months and 32% were decannulated at a median age of 49 months. The median ages for all key events differed significantly by center (P ≤ .001 for all events). CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variability in the outpatient respiratory outcomes of ventilator-dependent infants and children with severe BPD. Further studies are needed to identify the factors that contribute to variability in practice among the different BPD outpatient centers, which may include inpatient practices.

The effects of an oral health intervention on caregivers of Head Start children.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an oral health educational intervention on knowledge and behavior-specific cognitions and affect in caregivers of children from 2 to 5 years of age. This was a descriptive study, with a convenience sample of 425 Head Start caregivers who attended one of 18 oral health educational programs throughout Miami-Dade County. Four research questions addressed the relationship between the oral health educational intervention and prior related behavior, personal factors, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, knowledge, and intent. The educational program was found to have a significant effect on caregivers' knowledge, cognition, affect, and intent to provide oral healthcare to their children. Educational programs have a positive impact on caregivers to increase oral health knowledge and intent to perform preventive oral health-promoting behaviors in this underserved population. Effective educational interventions are necessary in order to increase overall health in children and to decrease oral disease.

Factors Promoting Posttraumatic Growth in Sexual Minority Adults Following Adolescent Bullying Experiences.

The minority stress model posits that stigmatized identities expose sexual minority individuals to chronic stressors that contribute to health disparities, but that individual-level resources may mitigate psychological distress. Sexual minority adolescents experience one such stressor, bullying victimization, at higher rates than heterosexual peers. Whereas negative consequences of sexual identity-based bullying are well documented, potential positive outcomes are not well understood. The present work examined hypothesized pathways to posttraumatic growth (PTG)-positive psychological changes stemming from trauma-in sexual minority adults following adolescent bullying experiences. We predicted that attributing bullying to one's sexual identity, as opposed to other factors (e.g., weight/appearance, personality), would exacerbate perceived bullying severity but, in turn, enhance PTG. We also predicted that outness about sexual identity would enhance social support and, in turn, facilitate PTG. The hypothesized conceptual model was tested in two samples of sexual minority adults who had experienced bullying during adolescence (Sample 1: Community Sample [N = 139]; Sample 2: National Online Sample [N = 298]), using structural equation modeling with Bayesian estimation. Mediation hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS v3.4 macro. Participants reported their adolescent experiences with bullying, attributions for bullying, outness, social support, and PTG as a result of adolescent bullying experiences, in addition to demographics. Supporting the hypothesized model, in both samples, attributions to sexual identity-based bullying directly and indirectly (via bullying severity) predicted greater PTG, and outness predicted greater PTG through proximal impact on social support. This research underscores the importance of supportive responses to individuals who disclose sexual minority identities and of (re)framing attributions about bullying to facilitate growth.

A Dilemma of Dogma: Specifying the Personality Root of Sexual Prejudice.

The current study integrated prior research demonstrating 1) a mediational process by which the Five-Factor Model personality factor Openness to Experience, transmitted through right-wing authoritarian ideology, predicts sexual prejudice and 2) that the Five-Factor Model personality facet Openness to Values may be the more precise personality root of this process. Participants were 79 college students who completed a comprehensive measure of Five-Factor Model personality factors and facets and other relevant measures. Results supported hypotheses. In particular, facet-level Openness to Values accounted for comparable unique variance in sexual prejudice as factor-level Openness, and analyses of direct and indirect effects and overall model fit supported Openness to Values as the precise source predictor of the mediational pathway. Discussion focuses on preliminary evidence that Openness (and perhaps its facets) may be cultivated, and sexual prejudice reduced, by contact interventions. I emphasize in particular the promise of contact interventions that avoid frustration of the dogmatic personality by enhancing the experiential processing mode, including encouraging mental simulation of alternate social values.

Olivine-rich achondrites from Vesta and the missing mantle problem.

Mantles of rocky planets are dominantly composed of olivine and its high-pressure polymorphs, according to seismic data of Earth's interior, the mineralogy of natural samples, and modelling results. The missing mantle problem represents the paucity of olivine-rich material among meteorite samples and remote observation of asteroids, given how common differentiated planetesimals were in the early Solar System. Here we report the discovery of new olivine-rich meteorites that have asteroidal origins and are related to V-type asteroids or vestoids. Northwest Africa 12217, 12319, and 12562 are dunites and lherzolite cumulates that have siderophile element abundances consistent with origins on highly differentiated asteroidal bodies that experienced core formation, and with trace element and oxygen and chromium isotopic compositions associated with the howardite-eucrite-diogenite meteorites. These meteorites represent a step towards the end of the shortage of olivine-rich material, allowing for full examination of differentiation processes acting on planetesimals in the earliest epoch of the Solar System.