保乳手术与改良根治术治疗Ⅰ-Ⅱ期乳腺癌患者的疗效及生存状况比较研究

目的:比较分析乳腺癌保乳手术和根治术的临床疗效及患者生存状况。方法:回顾性分析2012年6月至2015年6月在我院乳腺外科行手术治疗的乳腺癌患者92例的临床资料,其中行保乳手术患者24例(保乳组),行根治手术患者68例(根治组),两组患者术后均采用个性化综合治疗巩固疗效,对比观察两组疗效及预后状况;通过乳腺癌生命质量测定量表(FACT-B)检测对比两组患者术后1、2年的生存质量;并对比两组患者术后乳房美容效果。结果:保乳组患者手术时间、术中出血量、引流量以及引流时间均明显较根治组少,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),而淋巴结清扫数则无明显差异(P0.05);两组患者上肢水肿发生率无明显差异(P0.05),而保乳组切缘皮瓣缺血发生率低于根治组(P0.05);两组患者术后2年生存率、复发率以及远处转移率无统计学差异(P0.05)。保乳组患者术后1、2年生理状况、情感状况、社会状况、功能状况、其他因素及生活质量综合评分均显著高于根治组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);保乳组术后乳房美容效果的优良率显著高于根治组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:相比于根治术,保乳手术不仅具有创伤小、术后恢复快的优势,患者预后状况与根治术相当,同时可更好的改善患者生存质量,术后乳房美容效果较好,临床应用价值更高。     

低温等离子髓核消融术治疗高原地区椎间盘源性下腰痛的疗效及对患者生活质量的影响

目的:研究低温等离子髓核消融术(LTPNPA)治疗高原地区椎间盘源性下腰痛(DLBP)的疗效及对患者生活质量的影响。方法:选择从2015年9月到2017年1月在我院接受治疗的高原地区DLBP患者,随机分为对照组(n=59)和观察组(n=59),对照组患者给予常规腰椎牵引治疗,观察组患者则予以LTPNPA术式治疗,对所有患者进行为期6个月的随访,并对比两组疗效、临床指标(疼痛缓解时间和住院时间)、治疗前后的椎间隙高度R值和Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)评分以及不同时期的日常生活能力量表(ADL)评分。结果:观察组的优良率是98.31%,高于对照组的88.14%(P0.05)。观察组的疼痛缓解时间及住院时间均少于对照组(P0.05)。治疗后两组的ODI评分均低于治疗前,且观察组较对照组偏低(P0.05)。治疗后两组的椎间隙高度R值相比差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。治疗后1个月、3个月、6个月两组的ADL评分均高于治疗前,治疗后3个月和6个月高于治疗后1个月,治疗后6个月高于治疗后3个月,且观察组均较对照组偏高(P0.05)。结论:对高原地区DLBP患者应用LTPNPA术式治疗,具有明显疗效,还可提升其生活质量,临床上可考虑在高原地区推广LTPNPA术式,从而使患者获得最佳疗效。     

Incubation temperature impacts nestling growth and survival in an open‐cup nesting passerine

For oviparous species such as birds, conditions experienced while in the egg can have long‐lasting effects on the individual. The impact of subtle changes in incubation temperature on nestling development, however, remains poorly understood, especially for open‐cup nesting species with altricial young. To investigate how incubation temperature affects nestling development and survival in such species, we artificially incubated American robin (Turdus migratorius) eggs at 36.1°C (“Low” treatment) and 37.8°C (“High” treatment). Chicks were fostered to same‐age nests upon hatching, and we measured mass, tarsus, and wing length of experimental nestlings and one randomly selected, naturally incubated (“Natural”), foster nest‐mate on days 7 and 10 posthatch. We found significant effects of incubation temperature on incubation duration, growth, and survival, in which experimentally incubated nestlings had shorter incubation periods (10.22, 11.50, and 11.95 days for High, Low, and Natural eggs, respectively), and nestlings from the Low treatment were smaller and had reduced survival compared to High and Natural nestlings. These results highlight the importance of incubation conditions during embryonic development for incubation duration, somatic development, and survival. Moreover, these findings indicate that differences in incubation temperature within the natural range of variation can have important carryover effects on growth and survival in species with altricial young.     

Longevity and population age structure of the arroyo southwestern toad (Anaxyrus californicus) with drought implications

The arroyo southwestern toad is a specialized and federally endangered amphibian endemic to the coastal plains and mountains of central and southern California and northwestern Baja California. It is largely unknown how long these toads live in natural systems, how their population demographics vary across occupied drainages, and how hydrology affects age structure. We used skeletochronology to estimate the ages of adult arroyo toads in seven occupied drainages with varying surface water hydrology in southern California. We processed 179 adult toads with age estimates between 1 and 6 years. Comparisons between skeletochronological ages and known ages of PIT tagged toads showed that skeletochronology likely underestimated toad age by up to 2 years, indicating they may live to 7 or 8 years, but nonetheless major patterns were evident. Arroyo toads showed sexual size dimorphism with adult females reaching a maximum size of 12 mm greater than males. Population age structure varied among the sites. Age structure at sites with seasonally predictable surface water was biased toward younger individuals, which indicated stable recruitment for these populations. Age structures at the ephemeral sites were biased toward older individuals with cohorts roughly corresponding to higher rainfall years. These populations are driven by surface water availability, a stochastic process, and thus more unstable. Based on our estimates of toad ages, climate predictions of extreme and prolonged drought events could mean that the number of consecutive dry years could surpass the maximum life span of toads making them vulnerable to extirpation, especially in ephemeral freshwater systems. Understanding the relationship between population demographics and hydrology is essential for predicting species resilience to projected changes in weather and rainfall patterns. The arroyo toad serves as a model for understanding potential responses to climatic and hydrologic changes in Mediterranean stream systems. We recommend development of adaptive management strategies to address these threats.     

Effects of winter food provisioning on the phenotypes of breeding blue tits

Throughout the Western World, huge numbers of people regularly supply food for wild birds. However, evidence of negative impacts of winter feeding on future reproduction has highlighted a need to improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms shaping avian responses to supplementary food. Here, we test the possibility that carry‐over effects are mediated via their impact on the phenotypes of breeding birds, either by influencing the phenotypic structure of populations through changes in winter survival and/or by more direct effects on the condition of breeding birds. Using a landscape‐scale 3‐year study of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), we demonstrate the importance of nutritional composition of supplementary food in determining carry‐over effect outcomes. We show that breeding populations which had access to vitamin E‐rich foods during the previous winter were comprised of individuals with reduced feather carotenoid concentrations, indicative of lower pre‐feeding phenotypic condition, compared to fat‐fed and unfed populations. This suggests that supplementary feeding in winter can result in altered population phenotypic structure at the time of breeding, perhaps by enhancing survival and recruitment of lower quality individuals. However, supplementation of a fat‐rich diet during winter was detrimental to the oxidative state of breeding birds, with these phenotypic differences ultimately found to impact upon reproductive success. Our findings demonstrate the complex nature by which supplementary feeding can influence wild bird populations.     

Diversity and distribution of parasitic angiosperms in China

Parasitic plants are an important component of vegetation worldwide, but their diversity and distribution in China have not been systematically reported. This study aimed to (1) explore floral characteristics of China's parasitic plants, (2) map spatial distribution of diversity of these species, and (3) explore factors influencing the distribution pattern. We compiled a nationwide species list of parasitic plants in China, and for each species, we recorded its phylogeny, endemism, and life form (e.g., herb vs. shrub; hemiparasite vs. holoparasite). Species richness and area‐corrected species richness were calculated for 28 provinces, covering 98.89% of China's terrestrial area. Regression analyses were performed to determine relationships between provincial area‐corrected species richness of parasitic plants and provincial total species richness (including nonparasitic plants) and physical settings (altitude, midlongitude, and midlatitude). A total of 678 species of parasitic angiosperms are recorded in China, 63.13% of which are endemic. Of the total, 59.73% (405 species) are perennials, followed by shrubs/subshrubs (14.75%) and vines (1.47%). About 76.11% (516 species) are of root hemiparasites, higher than that of stem parasites (100, 14.75%), root holoparasites (9.00%), and endophytic parasites (0.15%). A significant positive relationship is found between the area‐corrected species richness and the total species richness, which has been previously demonstrated to increase with decreasing longitude and latitude. Moreover, more parasitic species are found in the southwest high‐altitude areas than low areas. Consistently, the area‐corrected species richness increases with increasing altitude, decreasing latitude, and decreasing longitude, as indicated by regression analyses. China is rich in parasitic flora with a high proportion of endemic species. Perennials and root hemiparasites are the dominant types. The spatial distribution of parasitic plants is largely heterogeneous, with more species living in southwest China, similar to the distribution pattern of Chinese angiosperms. The positive relationship between parasitic and nonparasitic plant species richness should be addressed in the future.     

Estimation of fitness from energetics and life‐history data: An example using mussels

Changing environments have the potential to alter the fitness of organisms through effects on components of fitness such as energy acquisition, metabolic cost, growth rate, survivorship, and reproductive output. Organisms, on the other hand, can alter aspects of their physiology and life histories through phenotypic plasticity as well as through genetic change in populations (selection). Researchers examining the effects of environmental variables frequently concentrate on individual components of fitness, although methods exist to combine these into a population level estimate of average fitness, as the per capita rate of population growth for a set of identical individuals with a particular set of traits. Recent advances in energetic modeling have provided excellent data on energy intake and costs leading to growth, reproduction, and other life‐history parameters; these in turn have consequences for survivorship at all life‐history stages, and thus for fitness. Components of fitness alone (performance measures) are useful in determining organism response to changing conditions, but are often not good predictors of fitness; they can differ in both form and magnitude, as demonstrated in our model. Here, we combine an energetics model for growth and allocation with a matrix model that calculates population growth rate for a group of individuals with a particular set of traits. We use intertidal mussels as an example, because data exist for some of the important energetic and life‐history parameters, and because there is a hypothesized energetic trade‐off between byssus production (affecting survivorship), and energy used for growth and reproduction. The model shows exactly how strong this trade‐off is in terms of overall fitness, and it illustrates conditions where fitness components are good predictors of actual fitness, and cases where they are not. In addition, the model is used to examine the effects of environmental change on this trade‐off and on both fitness and on individual fitness components.     

Patterns of dental emergence in early anthropoid primates from the Fayum Depression,Egypt

Abstract

Paleontological field work in the Fayum Depression of Egypt has produced a remarkable diversity of fossil anthropoids, and this, combined with advances in genetic analyses of living anthropoids, has led to establishment of a temporal and phylogenetic framework for anthropoids that is achieving some degree of consensus. Less well understood are the evolutionary mechanisms and selective factors behind the origin and early diversification of anthropoids. One area that has remained under explored is investigation into the life history patterns of early anthropoids, a major omission given that understanding patterns of growth and development is essential for interpreting the paleobiology of fossil species. Here we detail dental emergence sequences for five species in four families of early anthropoid primates from the Fayum, and use these data to test Schultz’s Rule concerning the timing of emergence of molars versus premolars in mammals. Two important results are generated: (1) only one species had a dental eruption sequence identical to that observed among crown catarrhine primates; and (2) in all cases, the permanent canine was the last post-incisor dental element to fully erupt, a finding that may be significant for interpreting early anthropoid behavioral strategies.     

THE EFFECT OF INBREEDING IN DIPLOID AND TETRAPLOID POPULATIONS OF EPILOBIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM (ONAGRACEAE): IMPLICATIONS FOR THE GENETIC BASIS OF INBREEDING DEPRESSION

The partial dominance model for the evolution of inbreeding depression predicts that tetraploids should exhibit less inbreeding depression than their diploid progenitors. We tested this prediction by comparing the magnitude of inbreeding depression in tetraploid and diploid populations of the herbaceous perennial Epilobium angustifolium (Onagraceae). Inbreeding depression was estimated in the greenhouse for three tetraploid and two diploid populations at four life stages. The mating system of a tetraploid population was estimated and compared to a previous estimate for diploids. Tetraploids showed less inbreeding depression than diploids at all life history stages, and these differences were significant for seed-set and cumulative fitness, but not for germination, survival, or plant dry mass at nine weeks. This result suggests that the genetic basis of inbreeding depression may differ among life stages. The primary selfing rate of the tetraploid population was r = 0.43, which is nearly identical to that of a diploid population (r = 0.45), indicating that differences in inbreeding depression between diploids and tetraploids are probably not due to differences in the mating system. Cumulative inbreeding depression, calculated from the four life history stages, was significantly higher for diploids () than for tetraploids (), supporting the partial dominance model of inbreeding depression.