Medical professionalism videos on YouTube: Content exploration and appraisal of user engagement

BackgroundSocial media has become the fastest growing platform for sharing and retrieving information and knowledge, and YouTube is one of the most popular and growing sources of health and educational information video-sharing website. But, videos on this open platform are not peer-assessed, therefore, the accessible data should be adequately assessed. Till date, no exploration and analysis for assessing the credibility and usefulness of Medical professionalism videos available on YouTube are conducted.ObjectiveTo analyze the video sources, contents and quality of YouTube videos about the topic of medical professionalism.MethodsA systematic search was accomplished on YouTube videos during the period between March 1, 2020 and March 27, 2020. The phrases as significant words used throughout YouTube web search were ‘Professionalism in Medical Education’, Professionalism in medicine’, ‘Professionalism of medical students’, ‘Professionalism in healthcare’. ‘Teaching professionalism’, ‘Attributes of professionalism’. The basic information collected for each video included author’s/publisher’s name, total number of watchers, likes, dislikes and positive and undesirable remarks. The videos were categorized into educationally useful and useless established on the content, correctness of the knowledge and the advices. Different variables were measured and correlated for the data analysis.YouTube website was searched the using keywords ‘Professionalism in Medical Education’, Professionalism in medicine’, ‘Professionalism of medical students’, ‘Professionalism in healthcare’. ‘Teaching professionalism’, and ‘Attributes of professionalism’.ResultsAfter 2 rounds of screening by the subject experts and critical analysis of all the 137 YouTube videos, only 41 (29.92%) were identified as pertinent to the subject matter, i.e., educational type. After on expert viewing these 41 videos established upon our pre-set inclusion/exclusion criteria, only 17 (41.46%) videos were found to be academically valuable in nature.ConclusionMedical professionalism multimedia videos uploaded by the healthcare specialists or organizations on YouTube provided reliable information for medical students, healthcare workers and other professional. We conclude that YouTube is a leading and free online source of videos meant for students or other healthcare workers yet the viewers need to be aware of the source prior to using it for training learning.     

NLS-RARα contributes to differentiation block and increased leukemogenic potential in vivo

The fusion oncogene, promyelocytic leukemia (PML)-retinoic acid receptor-α (RARα), is crucial for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) pathogenesis. Previous studies have reported that PML-RARα is cleaved by neutrophil elastase (NE), an early myeloid-specific serine protease, leading to translocation of the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of the PML protein to the N-terminal of RARα. This study was designed to evaluate the value of NLS-RARα in the early diagnosis of APL. To investigate the potential functional role of NLS-RARα in leukemogenesis, HL-60 and U937 cell lines were transfected with NLS-RARα lentivirus and negative control (LVNC). The results showed that the induced expression of NLS-RARα down-regulated expressions of CD11b, CD11c, and CD14 compared to the LVNC group induced by 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃(1,25(OH)₂D₃). This suggested that NLS-RARα overexpression inhibited granulocytic and monocytic differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells. In addition, Wright-Giemsa staining, flow cytometry, respiratory burst assay, and NBT reduction assay all confirmed the importance of NLS-RARα in differentiation. The mechanistic investigations revealed that induced NLS-RARα expression inhibited 1,25(OH)₂D₃-induced granulocytic differentiation by regulating the cell cycle regulators p19^INK4D, p21^WAF1/CIP1, cyclinD1, cyclin E1, and pRB. Furthermore, the cleaved protein NLS-RARα enhanced the oncogenicity of U937 cells in NOD/SCID mice. These findings collectively demonstrated that NLS-RARα blocked granulocytic and monocytic differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells by inhibiting the downstream targets of the RARα signal pathway and the cell cycle. This may provide a promising new target and method for diagnosing and treating APL.     

Soil water partitioning contributes to species coexistence in tallgrass prairie

The majority of tallgrass prairie root biomass is located in the upper soil layers (0–25 cm), but species differences exist in reliance on soil water at varying depths. These differences have led to the hypothesis that resource partitioning belowground facilitates species co‐existence in this mesic grassland. To determine if plant water relations can be linked to soil water partitioning as a potential mechanism allowing C₃ species to persist among the more dominant C₄ grasses, we measured differences in the source of water‐use using the isotopic signature of xylem water, volumetric soil water content at 4 depths, and leaf water potentials. Data were collected for seven species representing C₄ grasses, C₃ forbs and C₃ shrubs over three growing seasons at the Konza Prairie (Kansas, USA) to encompass a range of natural climatic conditions. C₄ grasses relied on shallow soil water (5 cm) across the growing season and had midday leaf water potentials that were highly correlated with shallow soil water regardless of soil water availability at other portions of the soil profile (20, 40 and 90 cm). In contrast, C₃ species only used shallow soil water when plentiful at this depth; these species increased their dependence on soil water from greater depths as the upper soil layers dried. Structural equation models describing plant water relations were very similar for the three C₄ species, whereas a unique set of models and drivers were identified for each of the C₃ species. These results support soil water partitioning as a mechanism for species coexistence, as C₄ species in this grassland have relatively consistent dependence on water in shallow soil layers, whereas C₃ species show niche differentiation in water use strategies to avoid competition with C₄ grasses for water in shallow soil layers when this resource is limiting and leaf water stress is high.     

Nonrandom filtering effect on birds: species and guilds response to urbanization

Using bird survey data taken in three cities in Southern Chile, we evaluated the hypothesis that changes in community composition from periurban to urban areas are not random. Furthermore, the consistency of species and guild loss was assessed across cities. A consistent pattern of difference in community and guild structure between urban and periurban habitats was found. In addition, a nonrandom loss of species was found in urban areas compared to periurban areas, and non‐native species dominated urban communities in all cities. The average abundance of omnivores, granivores, and habitat generalists was higher in urban areas, while insectivores and open habitat species were more abundant in periurban areas. These results strongly suggest that urban habitats act as filters offering suitable conditions for only a fraction of the bird species present in a given area, and the lack of suitable conditions may be facilitating local biotic homogenization in the three studied cities. The results of this study not only fill a biogeographical knowledge gap, but the work presented here also aids the general understanding of factors that affect community structure in habitats with varied levels of local and global urbanization.     

Adaptive genetic diversity of dominant species contributes to species co-existence and community assembly

The synthesis of evolutionary biology and community ecology aims to understand how genetic variation within one species can shape community properties and how the ecological properties of a community can drive the evolution of a species. A rarely explored aspect is whether the interaction of genetic variation and community properties depends on the species'' ecological role. Here we investigated the interactions among environmental factors, species diversity, and the within-species genetic diversity of species with different ecological roles. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, we genotyped a canopy-dominant tree species, Parashorea chinensis, and an understory-abundant species, Pittosporopsis kerrii, from fifteen plots in Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest and estimated their adaptive, neutral and total genetic diversity; we also surveyed species diversity and assayed key soil nutrients. Structural equation modelling revealed that soil nitrogen availability created an opposing effect in species diversity and adaptive genetic diversity of the canopy-dominant Pa. chinensis. The increased adaptive genetic diversity of Pa. chinensis led to greater species diversity by promoting co-existence. Increased species diversity reduced the adaptive genetic diversity of the dominant understory species, Pi. kerrii, which was promoted by the adaptive genetic diversity of the canopy-dominant Pa. chinensis. However, such relationships were absent when neutral genetic diversity or total genetic diversity were used in the model. Our results demonstrated the important ecological interaction between adaptive genetic diversity and species diversity, but the pattern of the interaction depends on the identity of the species. Our results highlight the significant ecological role of dominant species in competitive interactions and regulation of community structure.     

Helminth species specific expansion and increased TNF-alpha production of non-classical monocytes during active tuberculosis

Both Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and helminths may affect innate immune mechanisms such as differential effects on monocytes towards the non-classical and intermediate subsets that favor bacterial persistence. Our aim, was to investigate helminth species specific effects on the frequency and functional activity of monocyte subsets in patients with active tuberculosis and healthy subjects. HIV-negative patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and community controls (CCs) in Gondar, Ethiopia were screened for helminth infection by stool microscopy. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and ex vivo stimulation with purified protein derivative (PPD) and helminth antigens were used to characterize the distribution of monocyte subsets and their function. A total of 74 PTB patients and 57 CCs with and without helminth infection were included. Non-classical monocytes were increased in PTB patients with Ascaris and hookworm infection but not in Schistosoma-infected patients. Ascaris had the strongest effect in increasing the frequency of non-classical monocytes in both PTB patients and CCs, whereas PTB without helminth infection did not affect the frequency of monocyte subsets. There was a helminth specific increase in the frequency of TNF-α producing non-classical monocytes in hookworm infected PTB patients, both with and without PPD-stimulation. Low-to-intermediate TB disease severity associated with increased frequency of non-classical monocytes only for helminth-positive PTB patients, and the frequency of TNF-α producing monocytes were significantly higher in intermediate and non-classical monocytes of helminth positive PTB patients with an intermediate disease score. Helminth infection affected the frequency of monocyte subsets and function both in TB patients and controls which was helminth species dependent in TB patients. The clinical role of this potential immunomodulatory effect needs further study and may affect the response and protection to tuberculosis in areas where helminth infections are endemic.     

Magnetic orientation in birds: non-compass responses under monochromatic light of increased intensity

Migratory Australian silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) were tested under monochromatic light at wavelengths of 424 nm blue and 565 nm green. At a low light level of 7 x 10(15) quanta m(-2) s(-1) in the local geomagnetic field, the birds preferred their seasonally appropriate southern migratory direction under both wavelengths. Their reversal of headings when the vertical component of the magnetic field was inverted indicated normal use of the avian inclination compass. A higher light intensity of 43 x 10(15) quanta m(-2) s(-1), however, caused a fundamental change in behaviour: under bright blue, the silvereyes showed an axial tendency along the east-west axis; under bright green, they showed a unimodal preference of a west-northwesterly direction that followed a shift in magnetic north, but was not reversed by inverting the vertical component of the magnetic field. Hence it is not based on the inclination compass. The change in behaviour at higher light intensities suggests a complex interaction between at least two receptors. The polar nature of the response under bright green cannot be explained by the current models of light-dependent magnetoreception and will lead to new considerations on these receptive processes.     

Spring phenology of ecological productivity contributes to the use of looped migration strategies by birds

Migration is a common strategy used by birds that breed in seasonal environments. The patterns and determinants of migration routes, however, remain poorly understood. Recent empirical analyses have demonstrated that the locations of two North America migration flyways (eastern and western) shift seasonally, reflecting the influence of looped migration strategies. For the eastern but not western flyway, seasonal variation in atmospheric circulation has been identified as an explanation. Here, we test an alternative explanation based on the phenology of ecological productivity, which may be of greater relevance in western North America, where phenology is more broadly dictated by elevation. Migrants in the western flyway selected lower-elevation spring routes that were wetter, greener and more productive, and higher-elevation autumn routes that were less green and less productive, but probably more direct. Migrants in the eastern flyway showed little season variation but maintained associations with maximum regional greenness. Our findings suggest the annual phenology of ecological productivity is associated with en route timing in both flyways, and the spring phenology of ecological productivity contributes to the use of looped strategies in the western flyway. This fine-tuned spatial synchronization may be disrupted when changing climate induces a mismatch between food availability and needs.     

A species assemblage approach to comparative phylogeography of birds in southern Australia

We present a novel approach to investigating the divergence history of biomes and their component species using single-locus data prior to investing in multilocus data. We use coalescent-based hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (HABC) methods (MsBayes) to estimate the number and timing of discrete divergences across a putative barrier and to assign species to their appropriate period of co-divergence. We then apply a coalescent-based full Bayesian model of divergence (IMa) to suites of species shown to have simultaneously diverged. The full Bayesian model results in reduced credibility intervals around divergence times and allows other parameters associated with divergence to be summarized across species assemblages. We apply this approach to 10 bird species that are wholly or patchily discontinuous in semi-arid habitats between Australia's southwest (SW) and southeast (SE) mesic zones. There was substantial support for up to three discrete periods of divergence. HABC indicates that two species wholly restricted to more mesic habitats diverged earliest, between 594,382 and 3,417,699 years ago, three species from semi-arid habitats diverged between 0 and 1,508,049 years ago, and four diverged more recently, between 0 and 396,843 years ago. Eight species were assigned to three periods of co-divergence with confidence. For full Bayesian analyses, we accounted for uncertainty in the two remaining species by analyzing all possible suites of species. Estimates of divergence times from full Bayesian divergence models ranged between 429,105 and 2,006,355; 67,172 and 663,837; and 24,607 and 171,085 for the earliest, middle, and most recent periods of co-divergence, respectively. This single-locus approach uses the power of multitaxa coalescent analyses as an efficient means of generating a foundation for further, targeted research using multilocus and genomic tools applied to an understudied biome.     

Breeding phenological response to spring weather conditions in common Finnish birds: resident species respond stronger than migratory species

National bird‐nest record schemes provide a valuable data source to study large‐scale changes in basic breeding biology and effects of climate change on birds. Using nest‐record scheme data from 26 common Finnish breeding bird species from whole Finland, we estimated the laydate of the first egg for 129 063 nesting attempts. We then investigated the relationship of mean spring temperature and spring precipitation sum to changes in the onset of laying over the period 1961–2012. In addition, we examine differences in response to these climatic variables for species grouped for different life history strategies; migration, diet and habitat. Finally, we test whether body size is related to the strength of phenological response. We show that 26 common Finnish breeding bird species have advanced their laying dates over time and to an increase in the mean spring temperature over the study period. When species are grouped according life history strategies, we find that breeding phenological change is negatively associated with changes in the mean spring temperature where residents respond strongest to changes in mean spring temperature, but also short‐ and long‐distance migrants advance laydates with increasing spring temperatures. Breeding phenological change is also associated with spring precipitation, where resident species delay and short‐distance migrants advance the onset of breeding. In addition we find that omnivorous species respond stronger than insectivorous species to changes in spring temperature. In contrast to results from an earlier study, we do not find evidence that small‐sized species respond stronger to spring temperature than large‐sized species. As climate warming is predicted to continue in the future, long‐term citizen science schemes, such as the Finnish nest‐card scheme, prove to be a valuable cost‐effective way to monitor the environment and allow investigation into how species are responding to changes in their environment.     

An increased autophagic flux contributes to the anti-inflammatory potential of urolithin A in macrophages

Background

An extract of Phyllanthus muellerianus and its constituent geraniin have been reported to exert anti-inflammatory activity in vivo. However, orally consumed geraniin, an ellagitannin, shows low bioavailability and undergoes metabolization to urolithins by gut microbiota. This study aimed at comparing geraniin and urolithin A with respect to inhibition of M1 (LPS) polarization of murine J774.1 macrophages and shedding more light on possible underlying mechanisms.

Neural mechanisms of auditory species recognition in birds

Auditory communication in humans and other animals frequently takes place in noisy environments with many co‐occurring signallers. Receivers are thus challenged to rapidly recognize salient auditory signals and filter out irrelevant sounds. Most bird species produce a variety of complex vocalizations that function to communicate with other members of their own species and behavioural evidence broadly supports preferences for conspecific over heterospecific sounds (auditory species recognition). However, it remains unclear whether such auditory signals are categorically recognized by the sensory and central nervous system. Here, we review 53 published studies that compare avian neural responses between conspecific versus heterospecific vocalizations. Irrespective of the techniques used to characterize neural activity, distinct nuclei of the auditory forebrain are consistently shown to be repeatedly conspecific selective across taxa, even in response to unfamiliar individuals with distinct acoustic properties. Yet, species‐specific neural discrimination is not a stereotyped auditory response, but is modulated according to its salience depending, for example, on ontogenetic exposure to conspecific versus heterospecific stimuli. Neuromodulators, in particular norepinephrine, may mediate species recognition by regulating the accuracy of neuronal coding for salient conspecific stimuli. Our review lends strong support for neural structures that categorically recognize conspecific signals despite the highly variable physical properties of the stimulus. The available data are in support of a ‘perceptual filter’‐based mechanism to determine the saliency of the signal, in that species identity and social experience combine to influence the neural processing of species‐specific auditory stimuli. Finally, we present hypotheses and their testable predictions, to propose next steps in species‐recognition research into the emerging model of the neural conceptual construct in avian auditory recognition.     

Regulation of ET: pulmonary release of ET contributes to increased plasma ET levels and vasoconstriction in CHF

Endothelin (ET) contributes to the increased systemic vascular resistance and elevated cardiac filling pressures seen in congestive heart failure (CHF). We investigated to what extent ET-mediated vasoconstriction in CHF occurs through an endocrine action of elevated plasma ET or by an autocrine/paracrine mechanism related to induction of vascular ET gene expression. Three weeks of pacing (225 beats/min) induced a marked release of ET-1 from the pulmonary circulation with a sixfold elevation of arterial plasma ET in CHF pigs compared with sham-operated pigs. Arterial plasma ET was the strongest and only independent predictor of systemic vascular resistance. In contrast, vascular preproET-1 and ET-receptor mRNA expression were unaltered or decreased in CHF pigs and did not correlate with indexes of vascular tone. However, myocardial preproET-1 mRNA expression increased twofold in CHF pigs. PreproET-2 and preproET-3 mRNAs were not detectable in cardiovascular tissues. In conclusion, plasma ET was markedly increased because of an augmented release from the pulmonary circulation during CHF, and arterial plasma ET correlated with systemic vascular resistance. The absence of ET induction in the peripheral vasculature suggests that ET increases vascular tone during CHF by an endocrine, not an autocrine/paracrine, mechanism.     

Movement ecology of Afrotropical birds: Functional traits provide complementary insights to species identity

Effects of anthropogenic activities on habitats and species communities and populations are complex and vary across species depending on their ecological traits. Movement ecology may provide important insights into species’ responses to habitat structures and quality. We investigated how movement behavior across a human‐modified landscape depends on species identity and species traits, with particular focus on habitat specialization, feeding guilds, and dispersal behavior. We tracked 34 individuals of nine Afrotropical bird species during three years in an anthropogenic riparian landscape of East Africa. We investigated whether species’ functional traits predicted their habitat use and movement behavior better than species’ identities. Our results indicate that habitat specialists mainly occur in dense riparian thickets, while habitat generalists do occur in agricultural land. Home‐ranges of omnivorous habitat generalists are larger than of frugivorous and insectivorous generalists and omnivorous and insectivorous specialists. Movement speed was highest in settlement areas for all species, with activity peaks during morning and afternoon for habitat specialists. Our results reveal that functional traits and species identity provide complementary insights into responses of organisms to habitat structures and habitat quality.