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ChatGPT, a sophisticated large language model (LLM), has garnered widespread attention for its ability to mimic human-like communication. As recent studies indicate a potential supportive role of ChatGPT in academic writing, we assessed the LLM's capacity to generate accurate and comprehensive scientific abstracts from published Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) data, focusing on the adherence to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials for Abstracts (CONSORT-A) statement, in comparison to the original authors' abstracts. RCTs, identified in a PubMed/MEDLINE search post-September 2021 across various medical disciplines, were subjected to abstract generation via ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4, following the guidelines of the respective journals. The overall quality score (OQS) of each abstract was determined by the total number of adequately reported components from the 18-item CONSORT-A checklist. Additional outcome measures included percent adherence to each CONOSORT-A item, readability, hallucination rate, and regression analysis of reporting quality determinants. Original abstracts achieved a mean OQS of 11.89 (95% CI: 11.23-12.54), outperforming GPT 3.5 (7.89; 95% CI: 7.32-8.46) and GPT 4 (5.18; 95% CI: 4.64-5.71). Compared to GPT 3.5 and 4 outputs, original abstracts were more adherent with 10 and 14 CONSORT-A items, respectively. In blind assessments, GPT 3.5-generated abstracts were deemed most readable in 62.22% of cases which was significantly greater than the original (31.11%; P = 0.003) and GPT 4-generated (6.67%; P<0.001) abstracts. Moreover, ChatGPT 3.5 exhibited a hallucination rate of 0.03 items per abstract compared to 1.13 by GPT 4. No determinants for improved reporting quality were identified for GPT-generated abstracts. While ChatGPT could generate more readable abstracts, their overall quality was inferior to the original abstracts. Yet, its proficiency to concisely relay key information with minimal error holds promise for medical research and warrants further investigations to fully ascertain the LLM's applicability in this domain.

Identifying the factors that influence the outcome of host–microbial interactions is critical to protecting biodiversity, minimizing agricultural losses and improving human health. A few genes that determine symbiosis or resistance to infectious disease have been identified in model species, but a comprehensive examination of how a host genotype influences the structure of its microbial community is lacking. Here we report the results of a field experiment with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to identify the fungi and bacteria that colonize its leaves and the host loci that influence the microbe numbers. The composition of this community differs among accessions of A. thaliana . Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) suggest that plant loci responsible for defense and cell wall integrity affect variation in this community. Furthermore, species richness in the bacterial community is shaped by host genetic variation, notably at loci that also influence the reproduction of viruses, trichome branching and morphogenesis. The effect of a host's genetic variation on the structure of its microbial community is poorly understood. Here, Horton et al. reveal associations between genetic variants in the plant model species Arabidopsis thaliana and the composition of the leaves' microbial communities.

The evolution of the remarkably complex primate brain has been a topic of great interest for decades. Multiple factors have been proposed to explain the comparatively larger primate brain (relative to body mass), with recent studies indicating diet has the greatest explanatory power. Dietary specialisations also correlate with dental adaptations, providing a potential evolutionary link between brain and dental morphological evolution. However, unambiguous evidence of association between brain and dental phenotypes in primates remains elusive. Here we investigate the effect of diet on variation in primate brain and dental morphology and test whether the two anatomical systems coevolved. We focused on the primate suborder Strepsirrhini, a living primate group that occupies a very wide range of dietary niches. By making use of both geometric morphometrics and dental topographic analysis, we extend the study of brain-dental ecomorphological evolution beyond measures of size. After controlling for allometry and evolutionary relatedness, differences in brain and dental morphology were found between dietary groups, and brain and dental morphologies were found to covary. Historical trajectories of morphological diversification revealed a strong integration in the rates of brain and dental evolution and similarities in their modes of evolution. Combined, our results reveal an interplay between brain and dental ecomorphological adaptations throughout strepsirrhine evolution that can be linked to diet.

While brain size in primates and their relatives within Euarchontoglires is well-studied, less research has examined brain shape, or the allometric trajectories that underlie the relationship between size and shape. Defining these patterns is key to understanding evolutionary trends. 3D geometric morphometric analyses of endocranial shape were performed on 140 species of extant euarchontoglirans using digital cranial endocasts. Principal component analyses on Procrustes shape variables show a clear phylogenetic pattern in endocranial shape, supported by an ANOVA which identified significant differences in shape among several groups (e.g., Platyrrhini, Strepsirrhini, Scandentia, Rodentia, and Lagomorpha). ANOVAs of shape and size also indicate that allometry has a small but significant impact on endocranial shape across Euarchontoglires, with homogeneity of slopes tests finding significant differences in the scaling relationship between shape and size among these same groups. While most of these clades possess a distinct endocranial morphotype, the highly derived platyrrhines display the strongest relationship between size and shape. Rodents show the most diversity in endocranial shape, potentially attributed to their comparatively weak relationship between shape and size. These results suggest fundamental differences in how shape and size covary among Euarchontoglires, which may have facilitated the adaptive radiations that characterize members of this group.

Early lagomorphs are central to our understanding of how the brain evolved in Glires (rodents, lagomorphs and their kin) from basal members of Euarchontoglires (Glires + Euarchonta, the latter grouping primates, treeshrews, and colugos). Here, we report the first virtual endocast of the fossil lagomorph Megalagus turgidus , from the Orella Member of the Brule Formation, early Oligocene, Nebraska, USA. The specimen represents one of the oldest nearly complete lagomorph skulls known. Primitive aspects of the endocranial morphology in Megalagus include large olfactory bulbs, exposure of the midbrain, a small neocortex and a relatively low encephalization quotient. Overall, this suggests a brain morphology closer to that of other basal members of Euarchontoglires (e.g. plesiadapiforms and ischyromyid rodents) than to that of living lagomorphs. However, the well-developed petrosal lobules in Megalagus , comparable to the condition in modern lagomorphs, suggest early specialization in that order for the stabilization of eye movements necessary for accurate visual tracking. Our study sheds new light on the reconstructed morphology of the ancestral brain in Euarchontoglires and fills a critical gap in the understanding of palaeoneuroanatomy of this major group of placental mammals.

Little is known about the early evolution of the brain in rodents. We report on nine new virtual endocasts for one of the most primitive family of rodents, Ischyromyidae, based on five specimens of Pseudotomus and Notoparamys (Paramyinae) and four specimens of Reithroparamys and Rapamys (Reithroparamyinae), dating from the early Eocene to the late middle Eocene of North America (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana). The virtual endocasts were obtained from high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography data. Comparisons with previously described ischyromyid virtual endocasts allow us to make inferences about the ancestral condition of the brain in rodents. Since Reithroparamyinae are suggested to be more closely related to the squirrel-related clade than other Ischyromyidae, comparisons were also made with the oldest virtual endocast for a squirrel, which gave us the opportunity to look at finer neurological changes occurring in the early evolution of squirrels. These new data permit a preliminary assessment of the endocranial diversity in Ischyromyidae. The results do not show evidence for a clear increase in Encephalization Quotient through time for early rodents. Instead, variation among species could be due to ecological factors (e.g., locomotion). Significant expansion in the neocortex and increase in paraflocculi ratios may have occurred in the transition from Ischyromyidae to Sciuridae, as previously hypothesized. Large olfactory bulbs and exposed midbrain are inferred to have been features present in the common ancestor of rodents, while neocortical expansion is reconstructed as having occurred twice independently within Ischyromyidae.

Much is known about the evolution of plant immunity components directed against specific pathogen strains: They show pervasive functional variation and have the potential to coevolve with pathogen populations. However, plants are effectively protected against most microbes by generalist immunity components that detect conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and control the onset of PAMP-triggered immunity. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the receptor kinase flagellin sensing 2 (FLS2) confers recognition of bacterial flagellin (flg22) and activates a manifold defense response. To decipher the evolution of this system, we performed functional assays across a large set of A. thaliana genotypes and Brassicaceae relatives. We reveal extensive variation in flg22 perception, most of which results from changes in protein abundance. The observed variation correlates with both the severity of elicited defense responses and bacterial proliferation. We analyzed nucleotide variation segregating at FLS2 in A. thaliana and detected a pattern of variation suggestive of the rapid fixation of a novel adaptive allele. However, our study also shows that evolution at the receptor locus alone does not explain the evolution of flagellin perception; instead, components common to pathways downstream of PAMP perception likely contribute to the observed quantitative variation. Within and among close relatives, PAMP perception evolves quantitatively, which contrasts with the changes in recognition typically associated with the evolution of R genes.

Despite its importance for making biologically meaningful conclusions in geometric morphometric analyses, landmark error is inconsistently assessed. We evaluate a set of 30 landmarks designed to capture shape variation among six major brain regions on endocasts of Euarchontoglires (Primates, Scandentia, Dermoptera, Lagomorpha, Rodentia). Seven trials were performed by three observers on virtual endocasts of three species: Alouatta palliata (Primates), Ochotona pallasi (Lagomorpha), and Octodon degus (Rodentia). Standard deviation for all landmarks was evaluated relative to mean inter-landmark distance, centroid size, and centroid radius. A Procrustes analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to assess inter- and intraobserver error. Results show that standard deviations in landmark placement across trials, species, and observers are low (≤ 1.5%). The Procrustes ANOVA found significant differences between observers, accounting for only a small portion of the variation (R 2  = 0.002, p ≤ 0.0001); most of the variation is attributed to species (R 2  = 0.993, p ≤ 0.0001). In a separate analysis, a landmark sampling evaluation curve (LaSEC) which included two additional curve semilandmark sets along the sagittal aspect of the neocortex and cerebellum was applied to 40 landmarked species spanning all five orders of Euarchontoglires. The LaSEC indicated that 99% of the variation is captured at by 30 landmarks. Morphological patterns previously thought to characterize these groups are replicated in a principal component analysis of landmark data for 40 species. Specifically, most variation relates to the relative scale of the neocortex and olfactory bulbs and the flexion of the basicranium. Overall, these landmarks are highly replicable and able to represent morphological patterns within a diverse group such as Euarchontoglires.

PSA testing is widely used for the early detection of prostate cancer (PCa), but its low specificity leads to overdiagnosis and unnecessary interventions. Proclarix, a novel blood test combining serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), percentage of free PSA (%fPSA), Cathepsin D (CTSD) and Thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) with age into a risk score, aims to improve risk stratification by predicting clinically significant PCa (csPCa). This study evaluated its diagnostic performance in a Danish population using retrospective serum samples collected consecutively from patients with suspected PCa. Proclarix' ability to reduce biopsies and detection of clinically insignificant PCa (ciPCa, defined as Grade Group < 2) was assessed in men with a PSA 2-10 ng/ml and a prostate volume of ≥ 35 ml (targeted population) compared with the percentage of free PSA (%fPSA) and the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator (ERSPC-RC). The secondary analysis included the performance of Proclarix' and Proclarix density compared with the %fPSA and PSA density (PSA-D) in a broader population with a PSA 2-20 ng/ml regardless of both prostate volume and DRE (extended population). Proclarix score is considered negative when it's below the cutoff 10%. In the targeted population (n = 373), a negative Proclarix test significantly reduced the probability of csPCa from 27% (pretest) to 5% (posttest, 95%CI: 0-10%), (p < 0.028) outperforming %fPSA (posttest 14%, 95%CI: 4-24%) and ERSPC-RC (posttest 20%, 95%CI: 4-36%). For the diagnosis of csPCa, Proclarix had a significantly (p < 0.01) greater specificity of 22% (95%CI: 17-27%) at 97% sensitivity (95%CI: 94-100%) and 95% NPV (95%CI: 90-100%) than did %fPSA and the ERSPC-RC, with 14% (95%CI: 10-18%) and 7% (95%CI: 4-11%) specificity, respectively. In the extended population (n = 656), Proclarix density had significantly (p < 0.01) greater specificity (39%, 95%CI: 35-44%) than did PSA-D (32%, 95%CI: 27-36%) at an equal sensitivity of 90%. Proclarix reduces prostate biopsies and ciPCa detection while maintaining a low risk of missing csPCa.