Differences in renal and alimentary water conservation account for differences in the distribution of tammar and parma wallabies on Kawau Island, New Zealand

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
R. G. Lentle ◽  
I. D. Hume ◽  
K. J. Stafford ◽  
M. Kennedy ◽  
B. P. Springett ◽  
...  

Surveys of two wallaby species on Kawau Island, New Zealand, indicated that their distribution was stable so as to permit niche partitioning. Multivariate analysis of environmental factors associated with the relative distribution of tammar and parma wallabies suggested that their distribution may be influenced by the availability of fresh water. Tammar wallabies have greater renal size, mass and relative medullary area than parma wallabies and thus may have greater renal water-conserving capabilities. The tammar colon is significantly longer than that of the parma wallaby and the water content of distal digesta is lower in tammar than in parma wallabies, indicating that the former species may also have greater colonic water-resorption capabilities. A laboratory comparison of the water consumption of tammar and parma wallabies showed that the former drink significantly less than the latter.The superior ability of tammar wallabies to colonise drier areas may have contributed to their survival in the presence of the closely related parma wallaby.

Author(s):  
Preethi M. Iyer ◽  
Sanjay Kumar P. ◽  
Karthikeyan S. ◽  
P. K Krishnan Namboori

<p><strong>Objective: </strong>In the present pharmacogenomic work, the genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors associated with BRCA1 induced breast cancer, cancer proneness and its variants across different populations like Indian, Netherland, Belgium, Denmark, Austrian, New Zealand, Sweden, Malaysian and Norwegian and the ‘mutation and methylation-prone’ region of BRCA1 have been computed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The global variations associated with the disease have been identified from the ‘Leiden open variation database (LOVD 3.0)’ and ‘Indian genome variation database (IGVDB)’. The variants, ‘single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)’ are then characterized. The epigenetic factors associated with breast cancer have been identified from the clinical reports and further scrutinized using EpiGRAPH tool. The various contributing environmental factors responsible for the variations have been considered.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All the variants across different populations such as Indian, Netherland, Belgium, Denmark, Austrian, New Zealand, Sweden, Malaysian and Norwegian are found to be in a specific transcript of BRCA1 that ranges within 41,196,312-41,277,500 (81,189 base pairs) of the chromosome 17. Two ‘single nucleotide variations (SNVs)’ (5266dupC: rs397507246 and 68_69delAG: rs386833395) have been identified as risk factors in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome in the global population and 39 SNPs have been identified as pathogenic and deleterious. ‘Evolutionary history’ seems to be the most significant attribute in the predictability of methylation of BRCA1. Unhealthy dietary habits, obesity, use of unsafe cosmetics, estrogen exposure, ‘hormone replacement therapy (HRT)’, use of oral contraceptives and smoking are the major environmental risk factors associated with breast cancer incidence.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This chromosome location (41,196,312-41,277,500 (81,189 base pairs)) can be considered as the population-specific sensitive region corresponding to BRCA1 mutation. This supports the fact that stabilization within the region can be a promising technique to control the epigenetic variants associated with the global position. The global variation in the proneness of the disease may be due to a cumulative effect of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors subject to further experimentations with identical variations and populations. </p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (13) ◽  
pp. 1423-1428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris A. Rees ◽  
Lois K. Lee ◽  
Eric W. Fleegler ◽  
Rebekah Mannix

School shootings comprise a small proportion of childhood deaths from firearms; however, these shootings receive a disproportionately large share of media attention. We conducted a root cause analysis of 2 recent school shootings in the United States using lay press reports. We reviewed 1760 and analyzed 282 articles from the 10 most trusted news sources. We identified 356 factors associated with the school shootings. Policy-level factors, including a paucity of adequate legislation controlling firearm purchase and ownership, were the most common contributing factors to school shootings. Mental illness was a commonly cited person-level factor, and access to firearms in the home and availability of large-capacity firearms were commonly cited environmental factors. Novel approaches, including root cause analyses using lay media, can identify factors contributing to mass shootings. The policy, person, and environmental factors associated with these school shootings should be addressed as part of a multipronged effort to prevent future mass shootings.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 590
Author(s):  
Maria Kantere ◽  
Labrini V. Athanasiou ◽  
Alexios Giannakopoulos ◽  
Vassilis Skampardonis ◽  
Marina Sofia ◽  
...  

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) primarily infects dogs, which are the main host reservoir, causing severe gastrointestinal disease associated with immunosuppression. The present study was conducted in Thessaly, Greece and aimed to identify risk and environmental factors associated with CPV-2 infection in diarrheic dogs. Fecal samples were collected from 116 dogs presenting diarrhea and were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of CPV-2 DNA. Supplementary data regarding clinical symptoms, individual features, management factors and medical history were also gathered for each animal during clinical evaluation. Sixty-eight diarrheic dogs were found to be positive for the virus DNA in their feces. Statistical analysis revealed that CPV-2 DNA was less likely to be detected in senior dogs, while working dogs, namely hounds and shepherds, had higher odds to be positive for the virus. Livestock density and land uses, specifically the categories of discontinuous urban fabric and of human population density, were identified as significant environmental parameters associated with CPV-2 infection by using Geographical Information System (GIS) together with the Ecological Niche Model (ENM). This is the first description of the environmental variables associated with the presence of CPV-2 DNA in dogs’ feces in Greece.


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