Explore the vast range of titles available.

Introduction and hypothesisThis manuscript is the International Urogynecology Consultation (IUC) on pelvic organ prolapse (POP) chapter one, committee three, on the Pathophysiology of Pelvic Organ Prolapse assessing genetics, pregnancy, labor and delivery, age and menopause and animal models.Materials and methodsAn international group of urogynecologists and basic scientists performed comprehensive literature searches using pre-specified terms in selected biomedical databases to summarize the current knowledge on the pathophysiology of the development of POP, exploring specifically factors including (1) genetics, (2) pregnancy, labor and delivery, (3) age and menopause and (4) non-genetic animal models. This manuscript represents the summary of three systematic reviews with meta-analyses and one narrative review, to which a basic scientific comment on the current understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms was added.ResultsThe original searches revealed over 15,000 manuscripts and abstracts which were screened, resulting in 202 manuscripts that were ultimately used. In the area of genetics the DNA polymorphisms rs2228480 at the ESR1 gene, rs12589592 at the FBLN5 gene, rs1036819 at the PGR gene and rs1800215 at the COL1A1 gene are significantly associated to POP. In the area of pregnancy, labor and delivery, the analysis confirmed a strong etiologic link between vaginal birth and symptoms of POP, with the first vaginal delivery (OR: 2.65; 95% CI: 1.81–3.88) and forceps delivery (OR: 2.51; 95% CI: 1.24–3.83) being the main determinants. Regarding age and menopause, only age was identified as a risk factor (OR : 1.102; 95% CI: 1.02–1.19) but current data do not identify postmenopausal status as being statistically associated with POP. In several animal models, there are measurable effects of pregnancy, delivery and iatrogenic menopause on the structure/function of vaginal support components, though not on the development of POP.ConclusionsGenetics, vaginal birth and age all have a strong etiologic link to the development of POP, to which other factors may add or protect against the risk.

Accurately estimating home range and understanding movement behavior can provide important information on ecological processes. Advances in data collection and analysis have improved our ability to estimate home range and movement parameters, both of which have the potential to impact species conservation. Fitting continuous-time movement model to data and incorporating the autocorrelated kernel density estimator (AKDE), we investigated range residency of forty-four jaguars fit with GPS collars across five biomes in Brazil and Argentina. We assessed home range and movement parameters of range resident animals and compared AKDE estimates with kernel density estimates (KDE). We accounted for differential space use and movement among individuals, sex, region, and habitat quality. Thirty-three (80%) of collared jaguars were range resident. Home range estimates using AKDE were 1.02 to 4.80 times larger than KDE estimates that did not consider autocorrelation. Males exhibited larger home ranges, more directional movement paths, and a trend towards larger distances traveled per day. Jaguars with the largest home ranges occupied the Atlantic Forest, a biome with high levels of deforestation and high human population density. Our results fill a gap in the knowledge of the species´ ecology with an aim towards better conservation of this endangered/critically endangered carnivore-the top predator in the Neotropics.

The field of movement ecology has rapidly grown during the last decade, with important advancements in tracking devices and analytical tools that have provided unprecedented insights into where, when, and why species move across a landscape. Although there has been an increasing emphasis on making animal movement data publicly available, there has also been a conspicuous dearth in the availability of such data on large carnivores. Globally, large predators are of conservation concern. However, due to their secretive behavior and low densities, obtaining movement data on apex predators is expensive and logistically challenging. Consequently, the relatively small sample sizes typical of large carnivore movement studies may limit insights into the ecology and behavior of these elusive predators. The aim of this initiative is to make available to the conservation-scientific community a dataset of 134,690 locations of jaguars (Panthera onca) collected from 117 individuals (54 males and 63 females) tracked by GPS technology. Individual jaguars were monitored in five different range countries representing a large portion of the species’ distribution. This dataset may be used to answer a variety of ecological questions including but not limited to: improved models of connectivity from local to continental scales; the use of natural or human-modified landscapes by jaguars; movement behavior of jaguars in regions not represented in this dataset; intraspecific interactions; and predator-prey interactions. In making our dataset publicly available, we hope to motivate other research groups to do the same in the near future. Specifically, we aim to help inform a better understanding of jaguar movement ecology with applications towards effective decision making and maximizing long-term conservation efforts for this ecologically important species. There are no costs, copyright, or proprietary restrictions associated with this data set. When using this data set, please cite this article to recognize the effort involved in gathering and collating the data and the willingness of the authors to make it publicly available.

A randomized trial demonstrated that fetal spina bifida (SB) repair is safe and effective yet invasive. New less invasive techniques are proposed but are not supported by adequate experimental studies. A validated animal model is needed to bridge the translational gap to the clinic and should mimic the human condition. Introducing a standardized method, we comprehensively and reliably characterize the SB phenotype in two lamb surgical models with and without myelotomy as compared to normal lambs. Hindbrain herniation measured on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included gross examination with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage test, neurological examination with locomotor assessment, whole-body MRI, motor and somatosensory evoked potentials; brain, spinal cord, hindlimb muscles, bladder and rectum histology and/or immunohistochemistry. We show that the myelotomy model best phenocopies the anatomy, etiopathophysiology and symptomatology of non-cystic SB. This encompasses hindbrain herniation, ventriculomegaly, posterior fossa anomalies, loss of brain neurons; lumbar CSF leakage, hindlimb somatosensory-motor deficit with absence of motor and somatosensory evoked potentials due to loss of spinal cord neurons, astroglial cells and myelin; urinary incontinence. This model obtains the highest validity score for SB animal models and is adequate to assess the efficacy of novel fetal therapies.

Tropical savanna and forest are recognized to represent alternate stable states, primarily determined by feedbacks with fire. Vegetation-fire dynamics in each of these vegetation types are largely determined by the influence of the vegetation on fire behavior, as well as the effects of fire behavior on tree mortality, topkill (defined here as complete death of the aerial biomass, regardless of whether the plant recovers by resprouting), and rate of growth of resprouts. We studied the effect of fire on three savanna-forest boundaries in central Brazil. Fire intensity was greater in savanna than forest, as inferred by a twofold greater height of stem charring. Despite lower fire intensity, forest tree species exhibited higher rates of topkill, which was best explained by their thinner bark, relative to savanna species. Following topkill, there was no tendency for sprouts of savanna trees to grow faster than those of forest species, contrary to expectations, nor was whole-plant mortality higher in forest than in savanna. This contrasts with observations of high rates of postburn mortality in many other tropical forests. The low tree mortality in these transitional forests suggests that the dynamic of these natural savanna-forest boundaries is fundamentally different from that of forest boundaries originating from deforestation in the humid tropics. The forests studied here appear to be much more resilient to occasional incursion of fire from the savanna, despite being unable to invade frequently burned savanna. The thin bark of forest species makes them particularly susceptible to the \"fire trap,\" whereby repeated topkill of small trees prevents recruitment into adult size classes. Rapid growth will be particularly important for forest species to escape the fire trap, so we predict that, where fire is frequent, forests should be restricted to high-resource sites. Here, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ concentrations had particularly strong effects on postburn growth rates, suggesting that these elements may most strongly limit the distribution of forest in these fire-prone savannas.

Local extinctions have cascading effects on ecosystem functions, yet little is known about the potential for the rapid evolutionary change of species in human-modified scenarios. We show that the functional extinction of large-gape seed dispersers in the Brazilian Atlantic forest is associated with the consistent reduction of the seed size of a keystone palm species. Among 22 palm populations, areas deprived of large avian frugivores for several decades present smaller seeds than nondefaunated forests, with negative consequences for palm regeneration. Coalescence and phenotypic selection models indicate that seed size reduction most likely occurred within the past 100 years, associated with human-driven fragmentation. The fast-paced defaunation of large vertebrates is most likely causing unprecedented changes in the evolutionary trajectories and community composition of tropical forests.

Background: Decapods are the most recognizable of all crustaceans and comprise a dominant group of benthic invertebrates of the continental shelf and slope, including many species of economic importance. Of the 17635 morphologically described Decapoda species, only 5.4% are represented by COI barcode region sequences. It therefore remains a challenge to compile regional databases that identify and analyse the extent and patterns of decapod diversity throughout the world. Methodology/Principal Findings: We contributed 101 decapod species from the North East Atlantic, the Gulf of Cadiz and the Mediterranean Sea, of which 81 species represent novel COI records. Within the newly-generated dataset, 3.6% of the species barcodes conflicted with the assigned morphological taxonomic identification, highlighting both the apparent taxonomic ambiguity among certain groups, and the need for an accelerated and independent taxonomic approach. Using the combined COI barcode projects from the Barcode of Life Database, we provide the most comprehensive COI data set so far examined for the Order (1572 sequences of 528 species, 213 genera, and 67 families). Patterns within families show a general predicted molecular hierarchy, but the scale of divergence at each taxonomic level appears to vary extensively between families. The range values of mean K2P distance observed were: within species 0.285% to 1.375%, within genus 6.376% to 20.924% and within family 11.392% to 25.617%. Nucleotide composition varied greatly across decapods, ranging from 30.8 % to 49.4 % GC content. Conclusions/Significance: Decapod biological diversity was quantified by identifying putative cryptic species allowing a rapid assessment of taxon diversity in groups that have until now received limited morphological and systematic examination. We highlight taxonomic groups or species with unusual nucleotide composition or evolutionary rates. Such data are relevant to strategies for conservation of existing decapod biodiversity, as well as elucidating the mechanisms and constraints shaping the patterns observed.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an infectious disease characterized by severe local inflammatory response, predominantly mediated by cytokines such as IL-1 β and TNF, and cytotoxicity, contributing to tissue damage and lesion development. Given the high rate of therapeutic failure in Leishmania braziliensis transmission areas, the investigation of molecules that regulate inflammatory response has become a promising adjuvant therapeutical strategy. In this study we investigated the effects of Annexin A1 (ANXA1) on the inflammatory response of CL patients. We initially performed in silico analyses from our previous transcriptome databases and found increased expression of ANXA1, IL1B , and IL10 genes in skin biopsies from CL patients when compared to healthy skin from healthy subjects (HS). Also, increased levels of ANXA1, IL1 β , and IL10 proteins were observed in serum levels and cultures of skin biopsies in CL patients when compared to HS. Treatment of lesion biopsies with recombinant ANXA1 reduced IL-1 β levels without affecting IL-10 secretion, indicating a selective anti-inflammatory effect. Additionally, monocyte-derived macrophages from HS increased ANXA1, IL-1 β , and IL-10 production upon Leishmania infection. Blockade of FPR2 receptor increased ANXA1 levels. Finally, addition of recombinant ANXA1 to macrophages did not affect the ability of these cells to kill Leishmania . Our findings demonstrate that ANXA1 negatively regulates IL-1 β in CL, without impairing anti-inflammatory mechanisms or macrophage microbicidal activity, highlighting its potential use as an adjuvant therapy for controlling inflammation and disease progression.