Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are obligate brood parasites. Only females search for host nests and they find host nests one or more days before placing eggs in them. Past work has shown that females have a larger hippocampus than males, but sex differences in spatial cognition have not been extensively investigated. We tested cowbirds for sex and seasonal differences in spatial memory on a foraging task with an ecologically relevant retention interval. Birds were trained...

The catabolism of protein from organs and muscles during migratory flight is necessary to produce glucose, key metabolic intermediates, and water, but may have negative effects on flight range and refueling at stopovers. We tested the hypothesis, suggested by previous studies, that birds that eat high-protein insect diets use more protein for fuel in flight than those that eat high-carbohydrate fruits. First, we fed migratory yellow-rumped warblers synthetic fruit or mixed insect/fruit diets, and measured...

A compensatory increase in β-cell mass occurs during pregnancy to counter the associated insulin resistance, and a failure in adaptation is thought to contribute to gestational diabetes. Insulin-expressing but glucose-transporter-2-low (Ins+Glut2LO) progenitor cells are present in mouse and human pancreas, being predominantly located in extra-islet β-cell clusters, and contribute to the regeneration of the endocrine pancreas following induced ablation. We therefore sought to investigate the contribution of Ins+Glut2LO cells to β-cell mass expansion during pregnancy....

Objective Our objectives were to determine if survivors of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalizations with sepsis experience higher epilepsy risk than survivors of ICU hospitalizations without sepsis, and to identify sepsis survivors at highest risk. Methods We used linked, administrative healthcare databases to conduct a population-based, retrospective matched cohort study of adult Ontario residents discharged from an ICU between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2015, identified using the Discharge Abstract Database. We used propensity...

Mitophagy, the elimination of damaged mitochondria through autophagy, promotes neuronal survival in cerebral ischemia. Previous studies found deficient mitophagy in ischemic neurons, but the mechanisms are still largely unknown. We determined that BNIP3L/NIX, a mitophagy receptor, was degraded by proteasomes, which led to mitophagy deficiency in both ischemic neurons and brains. BNIP3L exists as a monomer and homodimer in mammalian cells, but the effects of homodimer and monomer on mitophagy are unclear. Site-specific mutations in...

Environmental context is a crucial factor that influences sexual communication systems. Particularly in ectotherms, which cannot metabolically regulate their body temperature, temperature has an outsized effect on these intraspecific interactions. Using a desert-dwelling jumping spider Habronattus clypeatus, we assessed how temperature impacts various parts of the male signal and female mate choice for the signal. These spiders have multimodal, temporally-structured courtship displays that begin with visual-only “sidling” displays and proceed to multimodal visual and vibratory...

These data were used in the publication "Increased frequency of exposure to simulated winter storm cues negatively affects white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis)" Front. Ecol. Evol. | doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00222 Climate change is causing changes in weather patterns and more frequent extreme weather events. Although birds are often able to cope with and respond to inclement weather with physiological and behavioral responses, as weather events become more severe or frequent the adaptive coping responses of many species...

Objectives: Because only one head-to-head randomized trial of biologics for moderate-to-severe UC has been performed, indirect treatment comparisons remain important. This systematic review and network meta-analysis examined efficacy and safety of biologics and tofacitinib for moderate-to-severe UC, using vedolizumab as reference. Methods: Relevant studies (N = 19) of vedolizumab, adalimumab, infliximab, golimumab, ustekinumab, and tofacitinib were identified. Study design differences were addressed by assessing efficacy outcomes conditional on response at maintenance initiation. Primary analysis used...

1. Seasonal changes in the environment, such as varying temperature, have the potential to change the functional relationship between ectothermic animals, such as insects, and their microbiomes. Our objectives were to determine: a) whether seasonal changes in temperature shift the composition of the insect gut microbiome, and b) if changes in the microbiome are concomitant with changes in the physiology of the host, including the immune system and response to cold. 2. We exposed laboratory...

Variation in immune gene sequences is known to influence resistance to infectious diseases and parasites, and hence survival and mate choice, across animal taxa. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) comprise one essential gene family in the vertebrate innate immune system, and recognize evolutionarily conserved structures from all major microorganism classes. However, the causes and consequences of TLR variation in passerine birds remain largely unexplored. We examined seven TLR genes in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), a species that...

Because only one head-to-head randomized trial of biologics for moderate-to-severe UC has been performed, indirect treatment comparisons remain important. This systematic review and network meta-analysis examined efficacy and safety of biologics and tofacitinib for moderate-to-severe UC, using vedolizumab as reference. Relevant studies (N = 19) of vedolizumab, adalimumab, infliximab, golimumab, ustekinumab, and tofacitinib were identified. Study design differences were addressed by assessing efficacy outcomes conditional on response at maintenance initiation. Primary analysis used fixed-effect models...

1. Floral nectar harbours a diverse microbiome of yeasts and bacteria that depend predominantly on animal visitors for their dispersal. Since pollinators visit specific sets of flowers and carry their own unique microbiota, we hypothesize that plant species visited by the same set of pollinators may support non-random nectar microbial communities linked together by the type of pollinator. 2. Here we explore the importance of plant-pollinator interactions in the assembly of nectar microbiome and study...

Figure e-1. Pathology images of the cerebellar biopsy sample.(Panel A) Biopsy shows cerebellar cortex with dark Purkinje neurons and Purkinje neuron dropout. There is microvacuolation of neuropil and white matter. Features are consistent with ischemic neuronal changes with surrounding edema. Luxol-fast blue/hematoxylin-eosin (Bar = 50 microns). (Panel B) Neurofilament immunohistochemistry highlights collapsed basket cells which emphasize the Purkinje neuron dropout. (Bar = 50 microns).Supplementary Figure.tifTable e-1. Labelled ingredients of each herbal or naturopathic product that...

Geographic convergence during migration influences the extent to which animal populations may experience carry-over effects across periods of the annual cycle. When most individuals of a population share geographic areas during a given period, carry-over effects are likely stronger than when individuals occupy multiple areas. We used genetic data and stable isotope (δ2H) measurements from feathers and claws to describe the likely breeding and wintering geographic origins of a long-distance migratory songbird (Gray-cheeked Thrush, Catharus...

Interspecific differences in traits can alter the relative niche use of species within the same environment. Bats provide an excellent model to study niche use because they have a wide variety of behavioural, acoustic and morphological traits that may lead to multi-species, functional groups. Predatory bats have been classified by their foraging location (edge, clutter, open space), ability to aerial hawk and/or substrate glean prey and echolocation call design and flexibility, all of which may...

With the two-fold cost of sex, derived asexual organisms have an immediate reproductive advantage over their sexual sisters. Yet the "twiggy'' phylogenetic distribution of asexual lineages implies that they go extinct relatively quickly over evolutionary time. Meanwhile, bacteria and archaea have persisted for billions of years without requiring sexual reproduction. A simple explanation for this difference is that prokaryotes have very large population sizes that are not subject to the accumulation of deleterious mutations, but...

Temperature challenges are one of the leading abiotic causes of success or failure of non-native species in a novel environment, and this is particularly true for low temperatures. Establishing and reproducing in a novel thermal environment can alter survival, behaviour, and traits related to fitness. It has been proposed that plasticity or adaptation of thermal tolerance may allow an introduced species to thrive, or that successful invaders may be those with a thermal breadth in...

Experiments have begun demonstrating that the fear (antipredator responses) large carnivores inspire in ungulates can shape ecosystem structure and function. Most such experiments have focused on the impacts of either just one large carnivore, or all as a whole, rather than the different impacts different large carnivores may have in intact multi-predator-prey systems. Experimentally testing the relative fearfulness ungulates demonstrate toward different large carnivores is a necessary first step in addressing these likely differing impacts....

Additional file 9: Table S4. The 21 prognositc DE-MRGs based on the TCGA GBM cohort.

Additional file 10: Table S5. GO enrichment analysis by using DAVID.

Additional file 13: Table S12. The list of representative DEGs related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.

Additional file 15: Table S14. Primers used for quantitative real-time PCR in this study.

Additional file 15: Table S14. Primers used for quantitative real-time PCR in this study.

Supporting information 2: ROSES form

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNA) play important roles in multiple types of cancers. We addressed the role of LINC02535 by regulating the miR-30a-5p /GalNAc Transferase 3 (GALNT3) axis to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cells. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database screened differentially expressed lncRNAs. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis (qRT-PCR) confirmed that LINC02535 is highly expressed in LUAD tissues and cells. In vitro experiments showed that LINC02535 promotes the proliferation, migration,...