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Reintroducing a large carnivore in a human dominated landscape: dynamics of an isolated brown bear population over two decades post-reintroduction
No full textLarge carnivores have been extirpated from much of their historical range, but conservation efforts have supported their recovery. The brown bear reintroduction in the central Alps represents one such case, yet long-term viability of this population remains uncertain due to its small size, isolation, and increasing conflicts with humans. Using spatial capture-recapture and survival models based on non-invasive genetic data and known bear deaths collected on 222 individuals over 21 years (2003−2023), we assessed spatio-temporal trends in bear density, abundance, survival, and range expansion, accounting for sex and age-specific differences. Results indicate an annual population growth rate of 7.7 %, with a mean density of 1.61 bears/100 km2 in the whole study area in 2023, rising to 2.50 within the area permanently occupied by females. Survival probabilities varied by sex and age, with females showing strong site fidelity and males exhibiting higher dispersal and mortality. Although an ecological barrier hinders eastward expansion and connectivity, the permanent range of females increased by 137 %. Despite growth, the population remains small and vulnerable to stochastic events. Sustained genetic monitoring, improved connectivity, and science-based management will be crucial to balance conservation goals and social concerns, ensuring the persistence of this population in a human-dominated landscape
Action without agent, but with awareness? meditation and the modulation of agency induced sensory suppression
No full textExploring cycling, wellbeing, and grassroots possibilities for (forced) migrant women
No full text• Psychosocial wellbeing linked to cycling in safe, relational environments• Community support was essential, but not a substitute for systemic change• Equity in cycling needs joint action by cities, planners, and minority group
Gaps and challenges in the transition of care in neuromuscular disorders with a focus on duchenne muscular dystrophy
No full textCarotid plaque heterogeneity and lower calcified volume on computed tomography angiography are associated with neurologic symptoms
No full textAIMThe impact of carotid artery plaque calcification on computed tomography angiography (CTA) is unclear, despite subclassifications by size, distribution, and calcification scores. Symptomatic plaques appear to be more heterogeneous on ultrasound, but similar findings on CTA have not been published. We hypothesized that calcification and heterogeneity on CTA can discriminate symptomatic and asymptomatic plaques.MATERIALS AND METHODSCTA was performed on 152 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis before endarterectomy. Plaque volumes were assessed using a novel multi-slice cylindric approximation and divided into non-calcified and calcified plaque. Comparative analysis of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients was performed for clinical differences, stenosis severity, and plaque components: calcified volume, subtypes of calcification and heterogeneity (measured as the coefficient of variance). Multiple logistic regression was performed to assess odds ratios for neurological symptoms. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to investigate the prediction of the symptomatic status via plaque components.RESULTSThe odds ratios for %-calcified volume, superficial calcification, and a calcification score were OR 0.43 (0.22–0.84), 0.47 (0.22–1.0), and 0.78 (0.28–1.38), respectively. An increase of non-calcified plaque heterogeneity by 0.1 in the coefficient of variance was associated with a 41 % higher probability of being symptomatic (OR 1.41 (1.13–1.75)). There were no relevant differences in degree of stenosis and cardiovascular risk factors between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.CONCLUSIONAssessing plaque heterogeneity and calcification volume on CTA using a novel, simple volumetric approximation might be a useful indicator of higher plaque vulnerability in patients diagnosed with carotid artery stenosis, potentially improving diagnostic risk stratification
Patterns of lymphatic spread in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma – Findings from a multicenter study
No full textMitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system promotes modular assembly of cytochrome c oxidase
No full textMitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, complex IV (CIV) of the respiratory chain, is assembled in a modular fashion from mitochondrial as well as nuclear-encoded subunits, guided by numerous assembly factors. This intricate process is further complicated by the characteristic architecture of the inner mitochondrial membrane. The mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) maintains the stability of crista junctions that connect the cristae, the site of mitochondrial respiration, with the inner boundary membrane, where newly imported respiratory subunits first arrive. Here, we report that MICOS facilitates specific assembly steps of CIV and associates with intermediates of the Cox1 and Cox3 modules. Moreover, MICOS recruits a variety of assembly factors even in the absence of ongoing CIV biogenesis, directly or via the mitochondrial multifunctional assembly (MIMAS). Our results establish MICOS as an important agent in efficient respiratory chain assembly that promotes CIV biogenesis within the compartmentalized inner membrane architecture
ASO Visual Abstract: Iterative Hepatic and Pulmonary Metastasectomy in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Impact on Survival and Surgical Outcomes
No full textNatural history of clinical manifestations in activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase [delta] syndrome (APDS): time-to-event analyses using the European Society for Immunodeficiencies-APDS registry
No full textActivated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta (PI3Kδ) syndrome (APDS) is an ultra-rare, progressive disease characterised by immunodeficiency, immune dysregulation, and risk of malignancies. To further characterise the natural history of APDS, we analysed patient characteristics, manifestations, treatment use, and combinations of manifestations and combinations of treatments over time using longitudinal data from registration and follow-up visits in the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID)-APDS registry. 140 patients were included (mean age: 17.7 years at registration; 19.1 years at last follow-up). Manifestation burden was high from childhood (patients experienced up to 9 manifestations by age 10). The number of treatments increased with age, with a 64 % probability of receiving ≥1 by age 10. Life-threatening APDS complications led to 13 deaths reported over 2.6 years' mean follow-up. These data highlight the chronic, progressive nature of APDS and its long-term impact on patients, with a high manifestation load and early mortality, despite widespread symptomatic treatment use
Crop diversity in the landscape boosts pollinators and yield of pollinator dependent crops across the world.
No full textThere is a global concern about the decline of wild pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide. Although land-use change is a major threat to biodiversity, it is still poorly understood how land-use heterogeneity (or land-use structure) impacts pollinator communities and entomophilous crop production. Based on a literature review, we performed a meta-analysis to (1) assess how landscape structure, both composition and configuration, affects pollinator species richness and abundance, and (2) examine the impact of landscape structure on the production of key entomophilous crops. We extracted information on pollinator communities and crop production from 101 studies with a total of 920 site replicates distributed widely across the globe. To obtain landscape structure (total area of all crops, crop diversity, and landscape Shannon’s Diversity Index) information, we sourced data from the database Map-SPAM as well as satellite images. We found that pollinator species richness increased with the number of crop species in the surrounding area. Pollinator abundance increased with the number of different crops but decreased with increasing agricultural area in the surrounding landscape. Crop production of several crops was associated with landscape heterogeneity. Notably, fruit set increased with an increasing number of crop species in neighbouring fields and decreased with increasing agricultural area, that is, when nature is substituted with agriculture in the surrounding landscape. We also found positive correlations between edge density of an area and pollinator species richness and entomophilous crop production suggesting that edge density can be used as a landscape structure indicator to assess pollinator diversity. The effects of landscape structure were more pronounced in crops with high pollinator dependence, showing stronger relationships with both pollinator diversity and crop production. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining landscape heterogeneity through crop diversity and natural habitats to support pollinators and their services, though unmeasured factors such as intensification or local management may also play a role