Comparison of long-term radial artery occlusion via distal vs. conventional transradial access (CONDITION): a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The distal transradial access (dTRA) has become an attractive and alternative access to the conventional transradial access (TRA) for cardiovascular interventional diagnosis and/or treatment. There was a lack of randomized clinical trials to evaluate the effect of the dTRA on the long-term radial artery occlusion (RAO). METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized controlled study. The primary endpoint was the incidence of long-term RAO at 3 months after discharge. The secondary endpoints included the successful puncture rate, puncture time, and other access-related complications. RESULTS: The incidence of long-term RAO was 0.8% (3/361) for dTRA and 3.3% (12/365) for TRA (risk ratio = 0.25, 95% confidence interval = 0.07-0.88, P = 0.02). The incidence of RAO at 24 h was significantly lower in the dTRA group than in the TRA group (2.5% vs. 6.7%, P < 0.01). The puncture success rate (96.0% vs. 98.5%, P = 0.03) and single puncture attempt (70.9% vs. 83.9%, P < 0.01) were significantly lower in the dTRA group than in the TRA group. However, the number of puncture attempts and puncture time were higher in the dTRA group. The dTRA group had a lower incidence of bleeding than the TRA group (1.5% vs. 6.0%, P < 0.01). There was no difference in the success rate of the procedure, total fluoroscopy time, or incidence of other access-related complications between the two groups. In the per-protocol analysis, the incidence of mEASY type ≥ II haematoma was significantly lower in the dTRA group, which was consistent with that in the as-treated analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The dTRA significantly reduced the incidence of long-term RAO, bleeding or haematoma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifer: NCT05253820.

Exposure to high concentrations of triphenyl phosphate altered functional performance, liver metabolism and intestinal bacterial composition of aquatic turtles.

Organophosphorus flame retardants, such as triphenyl phosphate (TPhP), exist ubiquitously in various environments owing to their widespread usage. Potential toxic effects of residual flame retardants on cultured non-fish species are not concerned commonly. TPhP-induced physiological and biochemical effects in an aquatic turtle were evaluated here by systematically investigating the changes in growth and locomotor performance, hepatic antioxidant ability and metabolite, and intestinal microbiota composition of turtle hatchlings after exposure to different TPhP concentrations. Reduced locomotor ability and antioxidant activity were only observed in the highest concentration group. Several metabolic perturbations that involved in amino acid, energy and nucleotide metabolism, in exposed turtles were revealed by metabolite profiles. No significant among-group difference in intestinal bacterial diversity was observed, but the composition was changed markedly in exposed turtles. Increased relative abundances of some bacterial genera (e.g., Staphylococcus, Vogesella and Lawsonella) probably indicated adverse outcomes of TPhP exposure. Despite having only limited impacts of exposure at environmentally relevant levels, our results revealed potential ecotoxicological risks of residual TPhP for aquatic turtles considering TPhP-induced metabolic perturbations and intestinal bacterial changes.

Incidence of Distal Radial Artery Occlusion and its Influencing Factors After Cardiovascular Intervention Via the Distal Transradial Access.

INTRODUCTION: One of the important advantages of the distal transradial access (dTRA) is the significant reduction in the incidence of radial artery occlusion (RAO). There are few reports on the influencing factors for distal radial artery occlusion (dRAO) after cardiovascular interventions via the dTRA. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included the clinical data of patients who underwent a cardiovascular intervention via the dTRA. The dRAO was evaluated by ultrasound within 24 hours after the procedure. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to explore the influencing factors for dRAO. RESULTS: The incidence of dRAO was 3.5% (28/805) at 24 hours follow-up after the procedure. In the comparison between the 2 groups, the preoperative distal radial artery (DRA) internal diameter in the dRAO group was significantly smaller than that in the non-dRAO group (p=0.001). The prevalence of DRA inner diameter/sheath outer diameter <1 was significantly higher in the dRAO group than in the non-dRAO group (p=0.013). The number of puncture attempts was significantly greater in the dRAO group than in the non-dRAO group (p=0.007). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that DRA inner diameter/sheath outer diameter <1 was an independent risk factor for dRAO (OR=4.827, 95% CI=1.087-21.441, p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of dRAO 24 hours after cardiovascular intervention via the dTRA was 3.5%, and a DRA inner diameter/sheath outer diameter <1 was an independent risk factor for dRAO. Preoperative ultrasound assessment of vessel inner diameter and selection of a sheath with a smaller outer diameter may reduce the risk of dRAO. CLINICAL IMPACT: The incidence of distal radial artery occlusion after cardiovascular intervention was 3.5%. The distal radial artery inner diameter/sheath outer diameter <1 was an independent risk factor for distal radial artery occlusion. Preoperative ultrasound assessment of vessel inner diameter and selection of a sheath with a smaller outer diameter may reduce the risk of distal radial artery occlusion. The number of puncture attempts and compression time were not related to distal radial artery occlusion.

Chinese Expert Consensus on the Use of Biologics in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis (2022, Zhuhai).

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disease in otolaryngology, mainly manifested as nasal congestion, nasal discharge, facial pain/pressure, and smell disorder. CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), an important phenotype of CRS, has a high recurrence rate even after receiving corticosteroids and/or functional endoscopic sinus surgery. In recent years, clinicians have focused on the application of biological agents in CRSwNP. However, it has not reached a consensus on the timing and selection of biologics for the treatment of CRS so far. SUMMARY: We reviewed the previous studies of biologics in CRS and summarized the indications, contraindications, efficacy assessment, prognosis, and adverse effects of biologics. Also, we evaluated the treatment response and adverse reactions of dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab in the management of CRS and made recommendations. KEY MESSAGES: Dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab have been approved for the treatment of CRSwNP by the US Food and Drug Administration. Type 2 and eosinophilic inflammation, need for systemic steroids or contraindication to systemic steroids, significantly impaired quality of life, anosmia, and comorbid asthma are required for the use of biologics. Based on current evidence, dupilumab has the prominent advantage in improving quality of life and reducing the risk of comorbid asthma in CRSwNP among the approved monoclonal antibodies. Most patients tolerate biological agents well in general with few major or severe adverse effects. Biologics have provided more options for severe uncontrolled CRSwNP patients or patients who refuse to have surgery. In the future, more novel biologics will be assessed in high-quality clinical trials and applied clinically.

A model for leveraging animal movement to understand spatio-temporal disease dynamics.

The ongoing explosion of fine-resolution movement data in animal systems provides a unique opportunity to empirically quantify spatial, temporal and individual variation in transmission risk and improve our ability to forecast disease outbreaks. However, we lack a generalizable model that can leverage movement data to quantify transmission risk and how it affects pathogen invasion and persistence on heterogeneous landscapes. We developed a flexible model 'Movement-driven modelling of spatio-temporal infection risk' (MoveSTIR) that leverages diverse data on animal movement to derive metrics of direct and indirect contact by decomposing transmission into constituent processes of contact formation and duration and pathogen deposition and acquisition. We use MoveSTIR to demonstrate that ignoring fine-scale animal movements on actual landscapes can mis-characterize transmission risk and epidemiological dynamics. MoveSTIR unifies previous work on epidemiological contact networks and can address applied and theoretical questions at the nexus of movement and disease ecology.

Defining an epidemiological landscape that connects movement ecology to pathogen transmission and pace-of-life.

Pathogen transmission depends on host density, mobility and contact. These components emerge from host and pathogen movements that themselves arise through interactions with the surrounding environment. The environment, the emergent host and pathogen movements, and the subsequent patterns of density, mobility and contact form an 'epidemiological landscape' connecting the environment to specific locations where transmissions occur. Conventionally, the epidemiological landscape has been described in terms of the geographical coordinates where hosts or pathogens are located. We advocate for an alternative approach that relates those locations to attributes of the local environment. Environmental descriptions can strengthen epidemiological forecasts by allowing for predictions even when local geographical data are not available. Environmental predictions are more accessible than ever thanks to new tools from movement ecology, and we introduce a 'movement-pathogen pace of life' heuristic to help identify aspects of movement that have the most influence on spatial epidemiology. By linking pathogen transmission directly to the environment, the epidemiological landscape offers an efficient path for using environmental information to inform models describing when and where transmission will occur.

Effects of social structure and management on risk of disease establishment in wild pigs.

Contact heterogeneity among hosts determines invasion and spreading dynamics of infectious disease, thus its characterization is essential for identifying effective disease control strategies. Yet, little is known about the factors shaping contact networks in many wildlife species and how wildlife management actions might affect contact networks. Wild pigs in North America are an invasive, socially structured species that pose a health concern for domestic swine given their ability to transmit numerous devastating diseases such as African swine fever (ASF). Using proximity loggers and GPS data from 48 wild pigs in Florida and South Carolina, USA, we employed a probabilistic framework to estimate weighted contact networks. We determined the effects of sex, social group and spatial distribution (monthly home-range overlap and distance) on wild pig contact. We also estimated the impacts of management-induced perturbations on contact and inferred their effects on ASF establishment in wild pigs with simulation. Social group membership was the primary factor influencing contacts. Between-group contacts depended primarily on space use characteristics, with fewer contacts among groups separated by >2 km and no contacts among groups >4 km apart within a month. Modelling ASF dynamics on the contact network demonstrated that indirect contacts resulting from baiting (a typical method of attracting wild pigs or game species to a site to enhance recreational hunting) increased the risk of disease establishment by ~33% relative to direct contact. Low-intensity population reduction (<5.9% of the population) had no detectable impact on contact structure but reduced predicted ASF establishment risk relative to no population reduction. We demonstrate an approach for understanding the relative role of spatial, social and individual-level characteristics in shaping contact networks and predicting their effects on disease establishment risk, thus providing insight for optimizing disease control in spatially and socially structured wildlife species.

Sex-Specific Elk Resource Selection during the Anthrax Risk Period.

Anthrax, caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a zoonosis affecting animals and humans globally. In the United States, anthrax outbreaks occur in wildlife and livestock, with frequent outbreaks in native and exotic wildlife species in Texas, livestock outbreaks in the Dakotas, and sporadic mixed outbreaks in Montana. Understanding where pathogen and host habitat selection overlap is essential for anthrax management. Resource selection and habitat use of ungulates may be sex-specific and lead to differential anthrax exposure risks across the landscape for males and females. We evaluated female elk (Cervus canadensis) resource selection in the same study areas as male elk in a previous anthrax risk study to identify risk of anthrax transmission to females and compare transmission risk between females and males. We developed a generalized linear mixed-effect model to estimate resource selection for female elk in southwest Montana during the June to August anthrax transmission risk period. We then predicted habitat selection of female and male elk across the study area and compared selection with the distribution of anthrax risk to identify spatial distributions of potential anthrax exposure for the male and female elk. Female and male elk selected different resources during the anthrax risk period, which resulted in different anthrax exposure areas for females and males. The sex-specific resource selection and habitat use could infer different areas of risk for anthrax transmission, which can improve anthrax and wildlife management and have important public health and economic implications.

A review of the botany, metabolites, pharmacology, toxicity, industrial applications, and processing of Polygalae Radix: the "key medicine for nourishing life".

Polygalae radix (PR) is the dried root of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. and Polygala sibirica L. and enjoys the reputation as the "key medicine for nourishing life." In this study, information about "Polygala tenuifolia Willd.," "Polygala sibirica L.," and "Yuanzhi" was retrieved from scientific databases, including Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, and Wan Fang Data. Information from Chinese herbal medicine classics, Yaozhi Data, and the Gaide Chemical Network was also collected. Information related to botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity, industrial applications, and processing is summarized in this paper to tap its potentialities and promote its further development and clinical application. More than 320 metabolites have been isolated from PR; saponins, xanthones, and oligosaccharide esters are the main functional metabolites. Pharmacological research shows that its pharmacological action mainly focuses on resisting nervous system diseases, and it also has the functions of anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, anti-pathogenic microorganisms and others. The gastrointestinal irritation of its saponins impeded its application, but this irritation can be reduced by controlling the dosage, compatibility with other herbs, or processing. The future progress of PR faces opportunities and challenges. More attention should be paid to the traditional application and processing methods of PR recorded in ancient books. The lack of safety and clinical studies has limited its application and transformation of achievements. Moreover, it is one-sided to take the content of only a few metabolites as the index of processing optimization and quality control, which cannot reflect the full pharmacological and toxicological activities of PR.

Identifying the Drivers Related to Animal Reservoirs, Environment, and Socio-Demography of Human Leptospirosis in Different Community Types of Southern Chile: An Application of Machine Learning Algorithm in One Health Perspective.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis with global public health impact, particularly in poor socio-economic settings in tropical regions. Transmitted through urine-contaminated water or soil from rodents, dogs, and livestock, leptospirosis causes over a million clinical cases annually. Risk factors include outdoor activities, livestock production, and substandard housing that foster high densities of animal reservoirs. This One Health study in southern Chile examined Leptospira serological evidence of exposure in people from urban slums, semi-rural settings, and farm settings, using the Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm to identify key influencing factors. In urban slums, age, shrub terrain, distance to Leptospira-positive households, and neighborhood housing density were contributing factors. Human exposure in semi-rural communities was linked to environmental factors (trees, shrubs, and lower vegetation terrain) and animal variables (Leptospira-positive dogs and rodents and proximity to Leptospira-positive households). On farms, dog counts, animal Leptospira prevalence, and proximity to Leptospira-contaminated water samples were significant drivers. The study underscores that disease dynamics vary across landscapes, with distinct drivers in each community setting. This case study demonstrates how the integration of machine learning with comprehensive cross-sectional epidemiological and geospatial data provides valuable insights into leptospirosis eco-epidemiology. These insights are crucial for informing targeted public health strategies and generating hypotheses for future research.

Comparison of long-term prognoses of percutaneous coronary intervention via distal transradial and conventional transradial access for acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Distal transradial access (dTRA) has recently emerged as a new vascular access alternative for coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, published data on long-term mortality and major adverse cardiac events after PCI via dTRA are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to compare the long-term prognoses of PCI via dTRA and conventional transradial access (cTRA) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after 1-3 years of follow-up. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with ACS and underwent PCI between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, were retrospectively enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups at a 1:1 ratio, subjected to propensity score matching (PSM), and then followed for 1-3 years after PCI. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the relationship between the two access sites and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 550 patients in the dTRA and cTRA groups, 11 (4.0%) and 19 (6.9%) died during the observation period, respectively. dTRA and cTRA had similar risks of all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.688; 95% CI = 0.323-1.463; P = 0.331] and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs, HR = 0.806, 95% CI = 0.515-1.263; P = 0.347) after PCI. The risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.330, 95% CI = 0.107-1.105; P = 0.053), TLR-MACEs (HR = 0.587, 95% CI = 0.339-1.109; P = 0.058), and unplanned revascularization (HR = 0.860, 95% CI = 0.483-1.529; P = 0.606) were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: PCI via dTRA has the same long-term prognoses as PCI via cTRA in ACS patients, and the compression time and bleeding rate are lower than those in patients undergoing PCI via cTRA.

Analysis of the diameter of the distal radial artery at anatomic snuffbox by ultrasonography in patients scheduled for coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Assessing the size of the distal radial artery (DRA) in anatomic snuffbox (AS) before coronary intervention is extremely important in the selection of suitable patients, improving the success rate of puncture and reducing the complications. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diameter of the DRA in AS and its influencing factors in Chinese patients scheduled for coronary intervention. METHODS: Ultrasound was used to detect the inner diameter of vessels. A total of 1182 patients were involved in the study. RESULTS: In all patients, the mean inner diameters of the DRA, conventional radial artery (CRA) and ulnar artery (UA) were 2.00 ± 0.43 mm, 2.38 ± 0.51 mm and 1.99 ± 0.47 mm, respectively. The proportion of DRA diameter ⩾2.0 mm was 53% (in all patients), 64% (in males), 36% (in females), respectively. The DRA/CRA ratios were 0.85 ± 0.13 in all patients, 0.86 ± 0.13 in males and 0.84 ± 0.13 in females. The diameter of the DRA was strongly positively correlated with the diameter of the CRA (r = 0.750, p < 0.05), and weakly correlated with the body mass index (r = 0.303, p < 0.05) and the diameter of the UA (r = 0.304, p < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that female sex, age ⩾60 years, body mass index <24 kg/m2, previous CRA/DRA access and history of coronary artery disease were independent predictors of the DRA diameter <2.0 mm. CONCLUSION: Measurement of the diameter of the DRA by ultrasonography may offer important information prior to coronary catheterization.

Bat cellular immunity varies by year and dietary habit amidst land conversion.

Monitoring the health of wildlife populations is essential in the face of increased agricultural expansion and forest fragmentation. Loss of habitat and habitat degradation can negatively affect an animal's physiological state, possibly resulting in immunosuppression and increased morbidity or mortality. We sought to determine how land conversion may differentially impact cellular immunity and infection risk in Neotropical bats species regularly infected with bloodborne pathogens, and to evaluate how effects may vary over time and by dietary habit. We studied common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), northern yellow-shouldered bats (Sturnira parvidens) and Mesoamerican mustached bats (Pteronotus mesoamericanus), representing the dietary habits of sanguivory, frugivory and insectivory respectively, in northern Belize. We compared estimated total white blood cell count, leukocyte differentials, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and infection status with two bloodborne bacterial pathogens (Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas) of 118 bats captured in a broadleaf, secondary forest over three years (2017-2019). During this period, tree cover decreased by 14.5% while rangeland expanded by 14.3%, indicating increasing habitat loss and fragmentation. We found evidence for bat species-specific responses of cellular immunity between years, with neutrophil counts significantly decreasing in S. parvidens from 2017 to 2018, but marginally increasing in D. rotundus. However, the odds of infection with Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas between 2017 and 2019 did not differ between bat species, contrary to our prediction that pathogen prevalence may increase with land conversion. We conclude that each bat species invested differently in cellular immunity in ways that changed over years of increasing habitat loss and fragmentation. We recommend further research on the interactions between land conversion, immunity and infection across dietary habits of Neotropical bats for informed management and conservation.

Comparison of the Effect of a 6-French Glidesheath Slender and a Conventional Sheath on Distal Radial Artery Occlusion: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of randomized clinical trials on whether the 6-French (Fr) Glidesheath Slender (GSS; Terumo, Tokyo, Japan) is superior to the 6-Fr conventional radial sheath (CS) with respect to the early-term incidence of distal radial artery occlusion (dRAO) in patients who have undergone coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via distal transradial access. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-centre trial of patients who were randomized to undergo CAG and/or PCI with either a 6-Fr GSS or a 6-Fr CS. The primary end point was the incidence of dRAO at 24 hours postoperatively, evaluated using Doppler ultrasound. RESULTS: A total of 620 patients were included in the study. The baseline patient and procedural characteristics were similar among the 2 groups. For the primary end point, the incidence of dRAO at 24 hours after the procedure was 1.0% (3/314) in the GSS group and 3.6% (11/306) in the CS group (risk ratio, 0.266; 95% confidence interval, 0.075-0.943; P = 0.027) according to the intention to treat analysis. For the secondary end points, the incidence of proximal radial artery occlusion was 0.3% (1/314) in the GSS group and 2.3% (7/306) in the CS group (P = 0.029). Other secondary end points, including the puncture success rate, procedural outcomes, other puncture-related outcomes, and access-related complications were not significantly different in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a thin-walled and hydrophilic coating sheath can reduce the incidence of early-term dRAO in patients who undergo CAG and/or PCI via the distal transradial access. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05501925.

Genetic mutation of SLC6A20 (c.1072T > C) in a family with nephrolithiasis: A case report.

Nephrolithiasis is a highly prevalent disease worldwide that is associated with significant suffering, renal failure, and cost for the healthcare system. A patient with nephrolithiasis was found to have SLC6A20 variation. SLC6A20 gene in human is located on chromosome 3p21.3, which is a member of SLC6 family of membrane transporters and the product of this gene expression is transporter protein of sub-amino acid transporter system. The previous studies have reported that the mutation of SLC6A20 may cause hyperglycinuria or iminoglycinuria which may lead to nephrolithiasis. The object was to investigate the relationship between nephrolithiasis and SLC6A20 through pedigree genetic analysis. To explore whether the SLC6A20 mutation can cause hereditary nephrolithiasis, and provide evidence for further research. The urine and blood were collected from the patients for compositional analysis. DNA sequencing was applied to analyze the gene mutation. Labial gland and kidney biopsy were conducted for pathological analysis. As a result we reported a rare family case of nephrolithiasis accompanied by primary Sjogren's syndrome and investigated it by examining the family members with whole exome gene sequencing technology and detecting 20 different amino acids and 132 kinds of organic acids in the urine with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We discovered that the proband and her mother had hyperglycinuria and the proband (Ⅱ2), her sister (Ⅱ3), and mother (Ⅰ1) were found to carry the SLC6A20 gene exon NM_020208.3 sequence c.1072T > C heterozygous mutation, and the other family members (Ⅰ2, Ⅱ1, Ⅱ4, Ⅲ1, Ⅲ2) did not carry the genetic mutation. As a conclusion, the heterozygous mutation of SLC6A20 (c.1072T > C) might be contributed to hyperglycinuria and the formation of nephrolithiasis.

Analysis of Risk Factors for Otitis Media with Effusion in Children with Adenoid Hypertrophy.

Objective: This study aimed to explore whether children with AH have a higher obesity prevalence and analyze the risk factors for otitis media with effusion(OME) in AH children. Methods: AH patients aged 3-12 years old that were hospitalized in our hospital for adenoidectomy from June 2020 to September 2022 were included in this study. Height and weight were measured to calculate the body mass index, weight for height and weight z-score to evaluate the development of AH children. Propensity score matching was applied to minimize patient selection bias and adjust for confounding factors to analyze the risk factors for OME in children with AH. Results: A total of 887 children with AH were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of overweight or obesity was higher in children with AH than the control group. The size of adenoids is significantly different between AH children with and without OME. For children aged over 5, there are significantly higher counts of white blood cells, neutrophils, and monocytes in the AH children with OME than those without OME. More individuals represent to be atopic in children with OME than those without OME. Conclusion: The obstruction of the Eustachian tube is the most important factor of OME in AH children. It seems that there is no apparent correlation between OME and atopic conditions in AH children. In addition to surgical resection of adenoids, active control of infection and inflammation are also important to prevent OME for AH children aged over 5.

Watershed carbon yield derived from gauge observations and river network connectivity in the United States.

River networks play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. Although global/continental scale riverine carbon cycle studies demonstrate the significance of rivers and streams for linking land and coastal regions, the lack of spatially distributed riverine carbon load data represents a gap for quantifying riverine carbon net gain or net loss in different regions, understanding mechanisms and factors that influence the riverine carbon cycle, and testing simulations of aquatic carbon cycle models at fine scales. Here, we (1) derive the riverine load of particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for over 1,000 hydrologic stations across the Conterminous United States (CONUS) and (2) use the river network connectivity information for over 80,000 catchment units within the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) to estimate riverine POC and DOC net gain or net loss for watersheds controlled between upstream-downstream hydrologic stations. The new riverine carbon load and watershed net gain/loss represent a unique contribution to support future studies for better understanding and quantification of riverine carbon cycles.

Deriving spatially explicit direct and indirect interaction networks from animal movement data.

Quantifying spatiotemporally explicit interactions within animal populations facilitates the understanding of social structure and its relationship with ecological processes. Data from animal tracking technologies (Global Positioning Systems ["GPS"]) can circumvent longstanding challenges in the estimation of spatiotemporally explicit interactions, but the discrete nature and coarse temporal resolution of data mean that ephemeral interactions that occur between consecutive GPS locations go undetected. Here, we developed a method to quantify individual and spatial patterns of interaction using continuous-time movement models (CTMMs) fit to GPS tracking data. We first applied CTMMs to infer the full movement trajectories at an arbitrarily fine temporal scale before estimating interactions, thus allowing inference of interactions occurring between observed GPS locations. Our framework then infers indirect interactions-individuals occurring at the same location, but at different times-while allowing the identification of indirect interactions to vary with ecological context based on CTMM outputs. We assessed the performance of our new method using simulations and illustrated its implementation by deriving disease-relevant interaction networks for two behaviorally differentiated species, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) that can host African Swine Fever and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) that can host chronic wasting disease. Simulations showed that interactions derived from observed GPS data can be substantially underestimated when temporal resolution of movement data exceeds 30-min intervals. Empirical application suggested that underestimation occurred in both interaction rates and their spatial distributions. CTMM-Interaction method, which can introduce uncertainties, recovered majority of true interactions. Our method leverages advances in movement ecology to quantify fine-scale spatiotemporal interactions between individuals from lower temporal resolution GPS data. It can be leveraged to infer dynamic social networks, transmission potential in disease systems, consumer-resource interactions, information sharing, and beyond. The method also sets the stage for future predictive models linking observed spatiotemporal interaction patterns to environmental drivers.

Individual-level patterns of resource selection do not predict hotspots of contact.

Contact among animals is crucial for various ecological processes, including social behaviors, disease transmission, and predator-prey interactions. However, the distribution of contact events across time and space is heterogeneous, influenced by environmental factors and biological purposes. Previous studies have assumed that areas with abundant resources and preferred habitats attract more individuals and, therefore, lead to more contact. To examine the accuracy of this assumption, we used a use-available framework to compare landscape factors influencing the location of contacts between wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in two study areas in Florida and Texas (USA) from those influencing non-contact space use. We employed a contact-resource selection function (RSF) model, where contact locations were defined as used points and locations without contact as available points. By comparing outputs from this contact RSF with a general, population-level RSF, we assessed the factors driving both habitat selection and contact. We found that the landscape predictors (e.g., wetland, linear features, and food resources) played different roles in habitat selection from contact processes for wild pigs in both study areas. This indicated that pigs interacted with their landscapes differently when choosing habitats compared to when they encountered other individuals. Consequently, relying solely on the spatial overlap of individual or population-level RSF models may lead to a misleading understanding of contact-related ecology. Our findings challenge prevailing assumptions about contact and introduce innovative approaches to better understand the ecological drivers of spatially explicit contact. By accurately predicting the spatial distribution of contact events, we can enhance our understanding of contact based ecological processes and their spatial dynamics.

Role of social structure in establishment of an invasive large mammal after translocation.

BACKGROUND: Data on the movement behavior of translocated wild pigs is needed to develop appropriate response strategies for containing and eliminating new source populations following translocation events. We conducted experimental trials to compare the home range establishment and space-use metrics, including the number of days and distance traveled before becoming range residents, for wild pigs translocated with their social group and individually. RESULTS: We found wild pigs translocated with their social group made less extensive movements away from the release location and established a stable home range ~5 days faster than those translocated individually. We also examined how habitat quality impacted the home range sizes of translocated wild pigs and found wild pigs maintained larger ranges in areas with higher proportion of low-quality habitat. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our findings suggest translocations of invasive wild pigs have a greater probability of establishing a viable population near the release site when habitat quality is high and when released with members of their social unit compared to individuals moved independent of their social group or to low-quality habitat. However, all wild pigs translocated in our study made extensive movements from their release location, highlighting the potential for single translocation events of either individuals or groups to have far-reaching consequences within a much broader landscape beyond the location where they are released. These results highlight the challenges associated with containing populations in areas where illegal introduction of wild pigs occurs, and the need for rapid response once releases are identified. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.