Interferon β-1a in relapsing multiple sclerosis: four-year extension of the European IFNβ-1a Dose-C omparison Study

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease requiring long-term monitoring of treatment. Objective: To assess the four-year clinical efficacy of intramuscular (IM) IFNb-1a in patients with relapsing MS from the European IFNb-1a Dose-C omparison Study. Methods: Patients who completed 36 months of treatment (Part 1) of the European IFNb-1a Dose-C omparison Study were given the option to continue double-blind treatment with IFNb-1a 30 mcg or 60 mcg IM once weekly (Part 2). Analyses of 48-month data were performed on sustained disability progression, relapses, and neutralizing antibody (NA b) formation. Results: O f 608/802 subjects who completed 36 months of treatment, 493 subjects continued treatment and 446 completed 48 months of treatment and follow-up. IFNb-1a 30 mcg and 60 mcg IM once weekly were equally effective for up to 48 months. There were no significant differences between doses over 48 months on any of the clinical endpoints, including rate of disability progression, cumulative percentage of patients who progressed (48 and 43, respectively), and annual relapse rates; relapses tended to decrease over 48 months. The incidence of patients who were positive for NAbs at any time during the study was low in both treatment groups. Conclusion: C ompared with 60-mcg IM IFNb-1a once weekly, a dose of 30 mcg IM IFNb-1a once weekly maintains the same clinical efficacy over four years

Heart rate and energy expenditure of incubating wandering albatrosses: basal levels, natural variation, and the effects of human disturbance

We studied the changes in heart rate (HR) associated with metabolic rate of incubating and resting adult wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) on the Crozet Islands. Metabolic rates of resting albatrosses fitted with external HR recorders were measured in a metabolic chamber to calibrate the relationship between HR and oxygen consumption (V̇O2) (V̇O2=0.074×HR+0.019, r2=0.567, P\u3c0.001, where V̇O2 is in ml kg–1 min–1 and HR is in beats min–1). Incubating albatrosses were then fitted with HR recorders to estimate energy expenditure of albatrosses within natural field conditions. We also examined the natural variation in HR and the effects of human disturbance on nesting birds by monitoring the changes in HR. Basal HR was positively related to the mass of the individual. The HR of incubating birds corresponded to a metabolic rate that was 1.5-fold (males) and 1.8-fold (females) lower than basal metabolic rate (BMR) measured in this and a previous study. The difference was probably attributable to birds being stressed while they were held in the metabolic chamber or wearing a mask. Thus, previous measurements of metabolic rate under basal conditions or for incubating wandering albatrosses are likely to be overestimates. Combining the relationship between HR and metabolic rate for both sexes, we estimate that wandering albatrosses expend 147 kJ kg–1 day–1 to incubate their eggs. In addition, the cost of incubation was assumed to vary because (i) HR was higher during the day than at night, and (ii) there was an effect of wind chill (\u3c0°C) on basal HR. The presence of humans in the vicinity of the nest or after a band control was shown to increase HR for extended periods (2–3 h), suggesting that energy expenditure was increased as a result of the disturbance. Lastly, males and females reacted differently to handling in terms of HR response: males reacted more strongly than females before handling, whereas females took longer to recover after being handled

Effects of tillage systems on soil characteristics, glomalin and mycorrhizal propagules in a Chilean Ultisol

Tillage affects the soil physical and chemical environment in which soil microorganisms live, thereby affecting their number, diversity and activity. However, soil disturbance generally has the greatest impact on biological properties, including both free and symbiotic fungal populations. Interest in more ecologically sustainable agricultural systems is rising with increasing recognition that agricultural intensification can adversely affect environmental quality. This paper discusses the effect of tillage system on some soil characteristics, such as pH, C, N and S levels, total and Olsen-P contents including some P forms associated with organic matter, glomalin contents and arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) parameters, such as root colonization, spore number and total and active hyphal length. Measurements were in the sixth year of an on-going tillage-rotation experiment conducted on an Ultisol under no-till (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage with stubble mixed into the soil (CTS) or stubble burnt (CTB). Soil was sampled at two dates; after wheat (Triticum aestivum) harvest (autumn) and 6 months after subsequent grassland seeding (spring). Higher C, N, S, total P and fulvic acid-P concentrations and pH occurred under NT and RT than under CTS and CTB after wheat harvest. However, results at the second sampling were not consistent. AM spore number and active hyphal length were highest under NT having the greatest incidence on AM root colonization and P concentration in shoots of the pasture. Glomalin concentration was higher under NT and RT than under CTS and CTB but no differences in calculated glomalin to total C (ca. 5%) were found. It is concluded that a less disruptive effect of NT influences positively all soil characteristics and also increases P acquisition by the following crop in the rotation system

Early-life dispersal traits of coastal fishes: an extensive database combining observations and growth models

Early-life stages play a key role in the dynamics of bipartite life cycle marine fish populations. Difficult to monitor, observations of these stages are often scattered in space and time. While Mediterranean coastlines have often been surveyed, no effort has been made to assemble historical observations. Here we build an exhaustive compilation of dispersal traits for coastal fish species, considering in situ observations and growth models (; https://doi.org/10.17882/91148). Our database contains over 110 000 entries collected from 1993 to 2021 in various subregions. All observations are harmonized to provide information on dates and geolocations of both spawning and settlement, along with pelagic larval durations. When applicable, missing data and associated confidence intervals are reconstructed from dynamic energy budget theory. Statistical analyses allow traits' variability to be revisited and sampling biases to be revealed across taxa, space and time, hence providing recommendations for future studies and sampling. Comparison of observed and modelled entries provides suggestions to improve the feed of observations into models. Overall, this extensive database is a crucial step to investigate how marine fish populations respond to global changes across environmental gradients