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  • Bengtson Ogden posted an update 1 year, 3 months ago

    Kinship among interacting individuals is often associated with sociality and also with sex ratio effects. Parasitoids in the bethylid genus Goniozus are sub-social, with single foundress females exhibiting post-ovipositional maternal care via short-term aggressive host and brood defence against conspecific females. Due to local mate competition (LMC) and broods normally being produced by a single foundress, sex ratios are female-biased. Contests between adult females are, however, not normally fatal, and aggression is reduced when competing females are kin, raising the possibility of multi-foundress reproduction on some hosts. Here, we screen for further life-history effects of kinship by varying the numbers and relatedness of foundresses confined together with a host resource and also by varying the size of host. We confined groups of 1-8 Goniozus nephantidis females together with a host for 5+ days. Multi-foundress groups were either all siblings or all nonsiblings. Our chief expectations included that compargest hosts presented and had the highest per capita production of adult offspring. Despite single foundress reproduction being the norm, G. nephantidis females in multi-foundress groups appear to attune sex allocation according to both foundress number and foundress relatedness broods produced by sibling foundresses had sex ratios similar to broods produced by single foundresses (ca. 11% males), whereas the sex ratios of broods produced by nonsibling females were approximately 20% higher and broadly increased with foundress number. We conclude that relatedness and host size may combine to reduce selection against communal reproduction on hosts and that, unlike other studied parasitoids, G. nephantidis sex ratios conform to predictions of both classical and extended LMC theories. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society for Evolutionary Biology.OBJECTIVE Prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and despite the high objective risks associated with HSCT, fear of progression (FoP) has only sparsely been studied in patients with acute leukemia until now. The aim of this study was the assessment of the prevalence of FoP, and any relevant correlates and typical concerns. METHODS We included 59 adult patients with acute leukemia who were tested prior to their first HSCT during an in-patient stay. Patients completed self-report measures assessing FoP (Fear of Progression Questionnaire – Short Form, FoP-Q-SF) and relevant correlates of FoP (e. g., patients’ physical state, depression, psychosocial distress, or social support). RESULTS About one third of the patients (35.6%; n = 21) had high FoP. Higher FoP was associated with previous cancer diagnosis, as well as depression, anxiety, reduced physical functioning, lower mental health-related quality of life, and lower positive social support. The greatest fears reported by these patients reflected common fears of cancer patients (e. g., fear about leaving their families behind), but also specific fears related to the current situation (e. g., fear of severe medical treatments during the course of the illness). CONCLUSIONS This was the first study providing an extensive analysis of FoP in leukemia patients prior to the extreme situation of HSCT. FoP is frequent and of major clinical importance for these patients. Hence, we recommend that patients undergo routine screening for FoP, to identify highly distressed patients at an early stage, and to offer targeted support. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.It has been estimated that around 8% of the children in the U.S. suffer from food allergy and of those, 40% are allergic to multiple foods. Among tree nuts, allergies to pistachios are common in those with cashew nut allergy and multiple homologous allergenic components are shared between the two nuts. Three major allergens from cashew (Ana o 1 at 50 kDa, Ana o 2 major band at 33 kDa and minor band at 53 kDa, and Ana o 3 at 10 kDa) and five major allergens from pistachio (Pis v 1 at 7 kDa, Pis v 2 at 32 kDa, Pis v 3 at 50 kDa, Pis v 4 at 23 kDa, and Pis v 5 at 36 kDa) have been identified. Of those, Ana o 1 and Pis v 3, Ana o 2 and Pis v 2, Ana o 2 and Pis v 5, Ana o 3 and Pis v 1 have been recognized as homologues based on their sequence similarity and cross reactivity to IgE from the patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Obesity is a complex, chronic, and multifactorial condition characterized by abnormal fat accumulation in tissues and organs and inducing negative effects on human health. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible, neurodegenerative disease, associated with amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. The correlation between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered, but the molecules and molecular mechanisms linking these conditions are not yet fully elucidated. In this review, we focused on the most important processes linking the fat accumulation and the alterations of the brain structure and functions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND Drawings can be used as a method of communication that represents an individual’s self-concept, anxiety, attitude or conflict. AIM The purpose of this study was to evaluate children’s drawing as a measure of dental anxiety in a dental setting. DESIGN Seventy-eight children, aged 6-12 years, were enrolled in this study. AR-A014418 research buy Pulp therapy and/or restorative treatment was performed during the first therapeutic session for all participants. Sound, Eye and Motor (SEM) and Frankl scales were used as an objective assessment of behaviour during treatment. After the treatment session, the children were instructed to draw a picture of a person at a dental clinic. Children’s drawings were scored by a paediatric dentist and a psychologist using Child Drawing Hospital (CD H) scale and emotional indicators of Human Figure Drawings (HFD). The findings were compared with Frankl and SEM scores. RESULTS There was a significant negative correlation between Frankl and CD H scores (P = .017), and a significant negative correlation was found between HFD and Frankl scores (P = .