CAPITALI$M IS CRISIS 

China property giant Evergrande admits debt crisis as protesters besiege HQ
EVEN IF IT IS STATE CAPITALI$M

1929
Property giant China Evergrande Group has said that it cannot sell properties and other assets fast enough to service its massive $300bn debts, and that its cashflow was under “tremendous pressure”

LETS ALL DO THE EVERGRANDE DANCE

© Provided by The Guardian Photograph: David Kirton/Reuters

Only hours after angry investors besieged its Shenzhen headquarters and the company denied it was set for bankruptcy, Evergrande issued a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange saying that a significant drop in sales would continue this month, which was likely to further deteriorate its liquidity and cash flow.© Photograph: David Kirton/Reuters Security personnel form a human chain as they guard outside the Evergrande's headquarters, where people gathered to demand repayment of loans and financial products, in Shenzhen on Monday.

The company blamed “ongoing negative media reports” for dampening investor confidence, resulting in a further decline in sales in September – usually a strong month for sales in China.

Related: China property market rocked as Evergrande struggles to repay $300bn debts

Evergrande also said two of its subsidiaries had failed to discharge guarantee obligations for 934m yuan ($145m) worth of wealth management products issued by third parties. That could “lead to cross-default”, it said.

And in a sign that restructuring plans are speeding up, the board also said it had appointed advisers to “assess the group’s capital structure, evaluate the liquidity of the group and explore all feasible solutions to ease the current liquidity issue”.

Shares in the group closed down nearly 12% in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The statement also said it had failed to find a buyer in the distressed sale of its electric vehicle and property service subsidiaries, prompting shares in those businesses to fall by 25% and 12% respectively.

Evergrande is one of the world’s most indebted companies, and has seen its shares tumble 75% this year, sparking fears among analysts of “a risk of contagion” spreading through China’s overheated property sector and also its banking system.

Years of borrowing by Evergrande to fund rapid growth has combined with a crackdown on the industry by Beijing to fuel the crisis.

The dramatic announcement on Tuesday follows a turbulent day on Monday which saw increasingly desperate protests by small investors and homebuyers demanding their money back.



Chaotic scenes erupted at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen as around 100 disgruntled investors crowded into the lobby to demand repayment of loans and financial products.

More than 60 security personnel formed a wall in front of the main entrances to the towering skyscraper in the southern city where protesters gathered to shout at company representatives.

Video: Evergrande Dollar Bonds Hit by Report of Suspended Loan Payments (Bloomberg)

Related: Evergrande investors face 75% hit as company edges closer to restructure

Du Liang, identified by staff as general manager and legal representative of Evergrande‘s wealth management division, read out a repayments proposal for those who held wealth management products, according to financial media outlet Caixin, but protesters at the company’s headquarters appeared to reject it.

“They said repayment would take two years, but there’s no real guarantee and I’m worried the company will be bankrupt by the end of the year,” said a protester surnamed Wang, who said he works for Evergrande and had invested 100,000 yuan ($15,500) with the company, while his relatives invested about 1m yuan.

Hundreds of people in recent months have also protested on an online forum set up by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist party, seeking government help.

Many analysts believe Evergrande will be forced to restructure its debt and possibly faces being dismantled under a government-orchestrated operation to ensure a soft landing that does not capsize the country’s bloated property market.

But late on Monday, Evergrande responded to the speculation that it was facing a restructuring as “totally untrue”.

“The recent comments that have appeared online about Evergrande‘s restructuring are completely false,” the company said in a statement.

It went on to say the company “is indeed facing unprecedented difficulties at the moment, but it will firmly carry out its main corporate responsibilities, fully dedicate itself towards the resumption of work and industry”.

The group will “protect housing transactions (and) intends to do everything possible to restore normal business operations, and fully guarantee customers’ legal rights and interests”, the statement added.

However, the group faces serious financial problems and the statement on Tuesday appeared to lay bare the magnitude of the crisis which has seen its bonds fall to less than 75% face value in some cases. Some trading was suspended again on Tuesday amid wild swings in prices.

After highlighting its problems raising cash from the firesale of properties and other assets, it said: “In view of the difficulties, challenges and uncertainties in improving its liquidity, there is no guarantee that the group will be able to meet its financial obligations under the relevant financing documents and other contracts.

“If the group is unable to meet its guarantee obligation or to repay any debt when due or agree with the relevant creditors on extensions of such debts or alternative agreements, it may lead to cross-default under the group’s existing financing arrangements and relevant creditors demanding acceleration of repayment. This would have a material adverse effect on the group’s business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.”

According to Caixin, Evergrande on Monday proposed that investors choose to accept 10% of the principal and interest of the matured product now and the rest via 10% instalments quarterly, payment by property assets, or by using the outstanding product value to offset home purchase payments.

On Friday, Evergrande vowed to repay all of its matured wealth management products as soon as possible.

Many buyers of Evergrande-built homes have expressed concern about down-payments made for projects now suspended by the property firm, airing concerns on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent.

A report last week by Capital Economics said Evergrande had 1.4m properties it has committed to completing, as of the end of June.

Analysts at the Hong Kong-based market intelligence firm Reorg described in a recent report how the disputes over contractor payments intertwined with Evergrande’s large exposure of unfinished properties that buyers – as is common in China – have already paid for upfront.

“In extreme cases, if China Evergrande fails to complete pre-sold property projects on time, due to inability to pay contractors, China Evergrande will be liable to the purchasers for their losses,” Reorg said.

“In line with industry practice, the group pre-sells properties prior to their completion – as a result, banks providing financing to end purchasers require China Evergrande to guarantee their customers’ mortgage loans. If a purchaser defaults on a mortgage loan, the group may have to repurchase the underlying property by paying off the mortgage.”

Infant formula websites overtly discourage breastfeeding

Direct-to-consumer messages on company websites promote benefits of formula feeding, position it as superior to breastmilk

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

An analysis of websites for baby formula manufacturers finds that their messages and images discourage breastfeeding while touting the benefits of formula, despite public health efforts to support breastfeeding and informed choice.

The study, led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health and published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, is the first to compare information and portrayals of breastfeeding with infant formula feeding on manufacturer websites directed at U.S. consumers.

“Many factors influence parents’ decision to breastfeed or use formula, including breastfeeding support and work schedules. But we also know that marketing and advertising play a critical role,” said Jennifer Pomeranz, assistant professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health and the study’s lead author. “It is important to understand the messages caregivers are receiving directly from formula companies, whose websites are targeting pregnant women and new parents with marketing claims disguised as feeding advice and support.”

Breastfeeding has many well-documented benefits for infants and mothers. Because breast milk is a complete source of nutrition for babies and can protect them from infections and certain diseases later in life, U.S. and global health authorities recommend breast milk as the sole source of nutrition during a child’s first six months and encourage continued breastfeeding.

Previous research shows that marketing from formula companies can influence norms and attitudes around infant feeding and may use unsubstantiated health claims to promote formula and diminish confidence in breast milk. To prevent this, the World Health Organization urges countries to ban the marketing of formula to consumers; while the U.S. still allows it, the Surgeon General recommended that infant formula be marketed in a way that does not discourage breastfeeding. 

Pomeranz and her colleagues analyzed the websites of three major formula brands that make up 98 percent of the U.S. market, as well as two organic brands, to compare messages and images about breastfeeding and breast milk with those about infant formula feeding.

The researchers found that substantial messaging on the five formula manufacturers’ websites focused on discouraging breastfeeding. The websites actually contained more messages about breastfeeding or breast milk than formula, but much of the breastfeeding content (40%) focused on challenges, such as having a low supply of breast milk or difficulty latching. The websites were significantly more likely to mention the benefits of formula (44%)—for instance, statements that formula provides brain and gastrointestinal benefits—than benefits of breastfeeding or breast milk (26%). Moreover, manufacturers compared formula feeding to breastfeeding, rather than comparing their brands positively to other brands.

Images on the websites also illustrated the benefits of formula—including the ease of feeding, with babies holding their own bottles—while making breastfeeding look difficult and labor intensive.

“Infant formula manufacturers’ repeated communication about breastfeeding problems such as reduced breast milk supply or sore nipples, coupled with images of women holding their breasts to breastfeed, implies that breastfeeding is hard, painful work. These recurring messages may ultimately discourage breastfeeding,” said Pomeranz.

“Even if websites frame their ‘advice’ as providing solutions to the problems identified, it is completely inappropriate for a formula company to disseminate information—let alone negative information—about breastfeeding to new parents and mothers in particular,” added Pomeranz.

The researchers identified other marketing tactics on formula websites, including the use of discounts or coupons, contact information for sales representatives, and claims of health and nutritional benefits of infant formula over breast milk.

“These marketing practices directed towards U.S. consumers would be legally suspect in other countries, many of which follow W.H.O. recommendations and prohibit direct-to-consumer marketing of infant formula,” added Pomeranz.

The researchers urge the U.S. government to strengthen its regulation of marketing messages on formula websites and product labeling. They also recommend that health professionals counsel their patients to steer clear of formula websites as sources of information, given that they undermine public health recommendations. 

Jennifer Harris of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut was the senior author on the study. In addition to Pomeranz and Harris, study authors include Xiangying Chu, Oana Groza, and Madeline Cohodes of NYU School of Global Public Health.

About the NYU School of Global Public Health

At the NYU School of Global Public Health (NYU GPH), we are preparing the next generation of public health pioneers with the critical thinking skills, acumen, and entrepreneurial approaches necessary to reinvent the public health paradigm. Devoted to employing a nontraditional, interdisciplinary model, NYU GPH aims to improve health worldwide through a unique blend of global public health studies, research, and practice. The School is located in the heart of New York City and extends to NYU's global network on six continents. Innovation is at the core of our ambitious approach, thinking and teaching. For more, visit: http://publichealth.nyu.edu/

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JOURNAL

Public Health Nutrition

DOI

10.1017/S1368980021003451 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Breastmilk or infant formula? Content analysis of infant feeding advice on breastmilk substitute manufacturer websites

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Sep-2021

NOT 'TO YOUNG TO BE TOLD'

Children of cancer patients are too often excluded from the disease journey, research shows

ESMO Congress 2021, 16-21 September

Reports and Proceedings

EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

 

IMAGE: DR. SINEN KORBI, FIRST AUTHOR OF ABSTRACT 1489P_PR - TUNISIAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS COPING WITH PARENTAL CANCER TO BE PRESENTED AT THE ESMO CONGRESS 2021 view more 

CREDIT: EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Lugano, Switzerland, 13 September 2021 – The announcement of a cancer diagnosis abruptly and durably alters the course of daily life – not just for the person receiving it, but also for their family. New research (1) [to be] presented at the ESMO Congress 2021 suggests that adequate communication and support for children of cancer patients still represents a significant unmet need that parents require help to fulfil. 

In 2020, an estimated 4.6 million individuals aged 20 to 54 years were diagnosed with the disease (2) at a time of their lives when they are most likely to be raising children. The impact of parental cancer on a child’s development varies according to the child’s age and the evolution of the illness, but also, crucially, depending on how the child has been included in the parent’s disease journey.  

Giving bad news to their children and addressing the distress this may cause them is one of the most daunting tasks that parents face at a time when they must process their own emotions about the disease. Yet according to Prof. Carlo Alfredo Clerici, a clinical and child psychology expert from University of Milan, Italy, not involved in the study, “Current psychological perspectives see a certain degree of information to children about their parents’ disease, and about the possibility of their death, as useful and protective against traumatic phenomena.” 

Ignorance is not bliss when a parent has cancer 

The social and cultural resistance that often stands in the way of this type of dialogue with children is evident from the results of a survey of 103 patients in Tunisia, almost 90% of whom reported communication disorders on the subject of the parent’s illness and more than 40% choosing not to disclose the whole truth about their disease. According to study author Dr. Sinen Korbi, Institute Salah Azaiez, Tunis, the idea is widespread among patients that they are protecting their children’s psychosocial equilibrium by shielding them from the reality of the illness: “This was cited as a concern by seven of the 18 parents in our study who chose to conceal the truth from their children entirely,” he reported, adding that these represent missed opportunities to give hope to children at a time when, even in Tunisia where many cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage, people do recover from the disease.  

Almost all study participants (96%) observed behavioural changes in their children ranging from anxiety and depression, through academic difficulties all the way to violence and substance abuse – but only nine parents consulted a child psychiatrist. “Many people think they can handle these issues on their own or with help from relatives, but they need to be encouraged to report these problems to us so we can refer them to specialists if needed: this can be as simple as asking patients how their children are doing every time we see them,” said Korbi.  

“This study makes clear the need to increase knowledge about the role of psychological and emotional dimensions in people's lives. Efforts should be made to better understand and take into account, in a way that is compatible with social and cultural perspectives, the fact that children build their own interpretation of life and that they can suffer significantly when they do not have adults helping them to stay in contact with reality,” said Clerici. “Future research should also aim to capture traumatic phenomena that unfold over time and which are associated with more worrying long-term consequences than the individual symptoms of distress reported here.” 

Trauma becomes particularly likely when a child is confronted with a parent’s death from cancer. Communication with children about the disease should be an ongoing process that, ideally, would begin shortly after the announcement of an incurable cancer diagnosis and include practical preparations for life after the parent has died. These key conversations should be addressed in an age-appropriate way, but parents, who need guidance from professionals, mostly navigate the experience on their own, while health and social care professionals are often unaware of the challenges faced during this period. (3) 

Distinguishing between how much it is possible to prepare a child for the loss of a parent to reduce traumatic phenomena and the extent to which this loss constitutes a suffering that words can neither prevent nor mitigate, Clerici underlined the importance of recognising that the support needs of children are not limited to the terminal phase of the disease and early stages of bereavement. “Their entire growth path will be shaped by the challenge of finding in the surviving parent, in new social and emotional relationships, opportunities to make up for their loss,” he said. “Activating care resources that ensure long-term psychological support and monitoring of the child could help these individuals face the challenges of existence without feeling emotional loneliness or abandonment and, while meeting modest reimbursements from health systems, has the potential to produce significant healthcare savings in the long term.” 

-END- 

Notes to Editors 

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Congress 2021 

Official Congress Hashtag:  #ESMO21 

 

Disclaimer 

This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct. 

 
References  

1 Abstract 1489P_PR ‘Tunisian children and adolescents coping with parental cancer‘ will be available as ePoster as of Thursday, 16 September at 08:30 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 32, 2021 Supplement 5 

2 Source: GLOBOCAN 2020  

3 McCaughan, E., Semple, C.J. & Hanna, J.R. ‘Don’t forget the children’: a qualitative study when a parent is at end of life from cancer. Support Care Cancer (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06341-3 

 

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. Driven by a shared determination to secure the best possible outcomes for patients, ESMO is committed to standing by those who care about cancer through addressing the diverse needs of #ONEoncologycommunity, offering #educationforLIFE, and advocating for #accessiblecancerCARE. www.esmo.org  

 

1489P_PR - Tunisian children and adolescents coping with parental cancer

S. Korbi1, Y. Berrazega2, M. Nesrine2, H. Rachdi3, N. Daoud4, H. Boussen5 

1Department Of Medical Oncology Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia, 2Medical Oncology, Hopital Abderrahmane Mami de Pneumophistiologie, Tunis, Tunisia, 3Medical Oncology Department, Hopital Abderrahmen Mami de Pneumo-Phistiologie, Tunis, Tunisia, 4Department Of Medical Oncology Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Hopital Abderrahmane Mami de Pneumophistiologie, Tunis, Tunisia, 5Oncology, Abderrahmen Mami Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia 

Background: Children of parents with cancer may respond differently in terms of adjustment and maladjustment. We aimed to investigate the coping mechanisms of children of cancer parents in the Tunisian context where cancer remains a taboo subject in many families. 

Methods: Parents treated for cancer (n=103) who have children<18 years old, were asked to complete a questionnaire between July and December 2020.The questionnaire included items about emotional and behavioral impact on children. 

Results: We interviewed 75 women (72.8%) and 28 men (27.2%) , mean age was 43 years old. Forty percent of the patients had adolescents (aged 12-18 years), 35% had school-aged children (6-12 years) and 25% had children preschoolers (<6 years). In our study, 82.5% of parents told their children about the disease. Among the children who were not aware of their parent’s illness, we observed significantly more preschoolers (61% vs 17.6%, p=0.001). The reasons given by the parents in these cases were the young age of their children (60%) and the fear of generating emotional and behavioral trauma and threatening their psychosocial equilibrium (40%). In 41.7% of cases, parents didn’t disclose the whole truth to their kids. De-dramatizing approach was particularly adopted with preschoolers in 94.1%, vs 62.5% in school-aged vs 17.9% in adolescents, p<0.01. The announcement procedure was perceived as a stressful task by half of the participants and 88.3% reported communication disorders with their children when referring to the parental illness. In our study, 96% of participants observed a behavioral change in their kids: anxiety in 35.1%, depression in 21.6%, violent behavior and aggression in 21.6%, emotional dependency in 10.3% and addiction in 6.2% of the cases. School failure was reported in 58.7% of cases mainly seen in children aged 6-12 years. Parent’s gender (OR=2.88 [0.38-21]) and educational level (OR=0.59 [0.059-5.894]) didn’t significantly predict kids’ behavior change. Only nine parents (8.7%) consulted a pedopsychiatrist. 

Conclusions: Tunisian parents with cancer seemed to lift the taboo surrounding their disease by involving their children in the acceptance process of the disease despite the developmental disruption it can generate. 

Legal entity responsible for the study: Korbi Sinan   

Funding: Has not received any funding   

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.  

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JOURNAL

Annals of Oncology

DOI

10.1016/j.annonc.2021.08.817 

 

World-leading pharma collaborates call for plain language summaries of peer-reviewed medical journal articles

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies who form the Open Pharma collaboration, have today announced the ever-pressing need for plain language summaries in peer-reviewed medical journal publications.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Medical Research & Opinion, Open Pharma’s recommendations come as an aim to make the medical publishing model “more open” and a “more accessible and inclusive environment”.

This, the authors state, would make engagement with medical research easier for all intended audiences from patients, patient advocates and caregivers, to healthcare professionals and policymakers.

“Scientific communities are now focused on driving the next step towards openness: accessibility. The broad range of stakeholders involved in medical research now puts the pharmaceutical industry in a unique position to make the medical publishing model more open,” explain the authors. 

“Few medical research articles currently include plain language summaries. The pharmaceutical industry has an opportunity to improve everyone’s understanding of medical research by regularly developing plain language summaries of their articles.

“These summaries encourage discussions around medical research and aid fully informed and shared decision-making.”

Launched in 2016, Open Pharma brings together a group of pharmaceutical and biotech companies and other research funders, alongside healthcare professionals, regulators, patients, publishers and other stakeholders in healthcare.  

Their drive is to take medical research from behind paywalls to becoming fully open access (free to read for everyone online) which they state will “improve transparency, advance medical science and, ultimately improve patient care”.

Today’s call for plain language summaries begins “the next step of openness”, and crucially whilst plain language summaries are “still in their infancy”, sets out what the recommendations call a “minimum standard” for future medical publication lay plain summaries to abide to.

The minimum standard recommends for all summaries to be in the style of an abstract, understandable and readable (in text only, rather than in videos or infographics), free of technical jargon, unbiased, non-promotional, and easily accessed.

Open Pharma states other minimum standards for summaries to include should be:

• explicitly linked to the source publication and relevant clinical trial identifiers, with brief reference to the existing evidence
• consistent with the same overall conclusions as the scientific publication abstract
• developed alongside the main content of the manuscript, in line with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ authorship criteria
• ideally reviewed by a non-expert during development
• fully peer reviewed alongside the main content
• made available to read free of charge alongside the scientific publication abstract
• tagged with appropriate metadata and keywords to improve discoverability in search

• engines, directories, and indexes.

“Standard minimum approaches for developing and sharing index-friendly plain language summaries are needed to help ensure that these multi-stakeholder communication channels are compliant with pharmaceutical industry standards,” the authors state.  

“This would also help frame plain language summaries as valid and effective forms of sharing research.

“Creating a minimum standard does not prevent graphically or digitally enhanced summaries but acts as universal foundation to further build upon; Open Pharma strongly encourages the additional development of enhanced summaries. Such a standard would define the minimum requirements for maximizing the transparency, accountability, accessibility, discoverability and inclusivity of medical journal publications.

“And, once these (minimum standards) have been met, we encourage researchers to also consider making and sharing infographics and video summaries to help people to understand their research even more.”

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies who form the Open Pharma collaboration, have today announced the ever-pressing need for plain language summaries in peer-reviewed medical journal publications.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Medical Research & Opinion, Open Pharma’s recommendations come as an aim to make the medical publishing model “more open” and a “more accessible and inclusive environment”.

This, the authors state, would make engagement with medical research easier for all intended audiences from patients, patient advocates and caregivers, to healthcare professionals and policymakers.

“Scientific communities are now focused on driving the next step towards openness: accessibility. The broad range of stakeholders involved in medical research now puts the pharmaceutical industry in a unique position to make the medical publishing model more open,” explain the authors. 

“Few medical research articles currently include plain language summaries. The pharmaceutical industry has an opportunity to improve everyone’s understanding of medical research by regularly developing plain language summaries of their articles.

“These summaries encourage discussions around medical research and aid fully informed and shared decision-making.”

Launched in 2016, Open Pharma brings together a group of pharmaceutical and biotech companies and other research funders, alongside healthcare professionals, regulators, patients, publishers and other stakeholders in healthcare.  

Their drive is to take medical research from behind paywalls to becoming fully open access (free to read for everyone online) which they state will “improve transparency, advance medical science and, ultimately improve patient care”.

Today’s call for plain language summaries begins “the next step of openness”, and crucially whilst plain language summaries are “still in their infancy”, sets out what the recommendations call a “minimum standard” for future medical publication lay plain summaries to abide to.

The minimum standard recommends for all summaries to be in the style of an abstract, understandable and readable (in text only, rather than in videos or infographics), free of technical jargon, unbiased, non-promotional, and easily accessed.

Open Pharma states other minimum standards for summaries to include should be:

• explicitly linked to the source publication and relevant clinical trial identifiers, with brief reference to the existing evidence
• consistent with the same overall conclusions as the scientific publication abstract
• developed alongside the main content of the manuscript, in line with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ authorship criteria
• ideally reviewed by a non-expert during development
• fully peer reviewed alongside the main content
• made available to read free of charge alongside the scientific publication abstract
• tagged with appropriate metadata and keywords to improve discoverability in search

• engines, directories, and indexes.

“Standard minimum approaches for developing and sharing index-friendly plain language summaries are needed to help ensure that these multi-stakeholder communication channels are compliant with pharmaceutical industry standards,” the authors state.  

“This would also help frame plain language summaries as valid and effective forms of sharing research.

“Creating a minimum standard does not prevent graphically or digitally enhanced summaries but acts as universal foundation to further build upon; Open Pharma strongly encourages the additional development of enhanced summaries. Such a standard would define the minimum requirements for maximizing the transparency, accountability, accessibility, discoverability and inclusivity of medical journal publications.

“And, once these (minimum standards) have been met, we encourage researchers to also consider making and sharing infographics and video summaries to help people to understand their research even more.”

###

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JOURNAL

Current Medical Research and Opinion

DOI

10.1080/03007995.2021.1971185 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Commentary/editorial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Open Pharma recommendations for plain language summaries of peer-reviewed medical journal publications

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Sep-2021

 

Isotope mapping sheds rare light into migratory routes, natal origins of monarch butterflies

uOttawa student travelled 20,000 kilometres collecting milkweed, creating isotope analysis of monarch butterflies’ annual migration journey, hoping to identify factors behind this threatened insect’s decline

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

 

IMAGE: ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS IS TO EXTRACT THE STRONTIUM FROM THE BUTTERFLY WINGS, WHICH DIGEST IN NITRIC ACID. view more 

CREDIT: MEGAN REICH, UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, University of Ottawa biology student Megan Reich enjoyed the road trip of a lifetime, crisscrossing the east coast of the United States in search of a specific thrill: Milkweed.

Milkweed is the host plant to the monarch butterfly and Megan wanted to compile a diverse sampling of it to run an isotope ratio analysis that would build a map to show how the isotopes vary over landscape. This would help her pinpoint where her monarch samples had hatched and, perhaps, better understand the migratory routes of this endangered insect.

Megan’s trip took 74 days, traveling 20,000 kilometres over 22 states to collect samples with the help of teachers, state and federal biologists, city employees, campground owners, and farmers. She has now published a research paper demonstrating how mapping strontium isotopes can greatly improve the ability to track these important insects.

“As animals feed on the landscape, they gather and preserve the local isotopic signature in inert tissues, and with monarchs it’s in their wings. These tissues preserve the isotopic signature of the individual's natal origin,” says Megan, a PhD student in the Faculty of Science.

“In this study, we show that strontium isotopes, particularly when combined with hydrogen isotopes, can help researchers pinpoint where a monarch butterfly hatched to a more precise area. We then used the new tool by applying it to a sample of monarchs to see where they originated.”

CAPTION

A monarch caterpillar feeds on a milkweed leaf in Texas in spring 2018

Tracking monarchs: A tough task

Tracking monarch butterflies, which are small-bodied and traverse thousands of miles over international borders, is an expensive and difficult task. Recovering tagged monarchs is rare.

Understanding the migration routes of an insect that transports biomass, nutrients, pollen, genetic information, and ecosystem services across a continent is critical, especially to understand why this butterfly’s population numbers have been declining.

CAPTION

An example of the assignment maps for two individuals: Butterfly A (MOTF003) on the left and Butterfly B (MOTF009) on the right. For each, there are assignment maps for each of the three techniques: Hydrogen isotopes (blue), strontium isotopes (red), and a dual strontium-hydrogen assignment (green). Darker shades indicate areas where the butterfly more likely originated. Dual assignment (green) is consistently more precise (smaller area) than the single-isotope assignments. Therefore, we recommend the use of dual strontium-hydrogen assignment in future studies of monarch butterflies using isotope geolocation.

CREDIT

Megan Reich, University of Ottawa

Importance of isotopes

“Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons and electrons but have a different number of neutrons, which makes them have different masses. The ratios between heavy and light isotopes vary spatially on the landscape,” explains Megan.

“Up until now, mainly hydrogen isotopes have been used for tracing the natal origin of monarch butterflies and have provided critical information relevant to monarch conservation. Unlike a radio collar which could tell you exactly where an animal travelled, hydrogen isotopes can only tell you the general area where the tissue was formed. In this study, we show that strontium isotopes, particularly when combined with hydrogen isotopes, can help researchers pinpoint where a monarch butterfly hatched to a more precise area – about four times better.”

CAPTION

The averaged assignment maps for the 100 monarchs. Darker shades indicate areas where the butterflies are more likely to have originated. The black dots mark the sites that monarchs were collected from in Spring 2011 during their northward migration from the overwintering sites in Mexico to their summer breeding grounds in the USA and Canada. Dual strontium-hydrogen assignment (green) resulted in the smallest area of estimated natal origin compared to hydrogen (blue) and strontium (red). It is interesting that most of the monarchs in our sample originated in Texas, as most overwintering monarchs are thought to come from the Midwest. More research is needed to confirm this result.

CREDIT

Megan Reich, University of Ottawa

Geographic clues to understand monarch decline

Ultimately, Megan analyzed 100 monarch butterflies and found the overwintering monarchs likely originated in Texas, demonstrating the ability of isotopes to answer essential questions about animal migration, providing a geographic snapshot and potential clues to understanding population decline.

“In the case of monarchs, multiple reasons for the population decline have been suggested, including deforestation and extreme weather events, loss of habitat on the summer breeding grounds, mortality during the southward migration, increased parasitism, and the effects of climate change,” says Megan, who collaborated with colleagues at the University of Guelph and the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science in this research.

“To understand the relative contribution and strength of these drivers, we need a better understanding of monarch migratory connectivity and patterns over time. We have now been able to establish a new, ready-to-use tool for researchers that will aid in the conservation of the monarch butterfly.”

CAPTION

An “isoscape”, or map showing the ratio between heavy and light isotopes over the landscape, for strontium isotope ratios. This isoscape was built from strontium isotope ratios analyzed in plants collected from areas marked by white diamonds.

CREDIT

Megan Reich, University of Ottawa

CAPTION

Samples were collected with the help of local communities. Cindy Price (left), City Clerk of Coffeyville, Kansas, and Mary Wilson (right) help Megan Reich (center) collect milkweed from Mary's property.

CREDIT

Megan Reich, University of Ottawa

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JOURNAL

Methods in Ecology and Evolution

DOI

10.1111/2041-210X.13707 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Continuous-surface geographic assignment of migratory animals using strontium isotopes: A case study with monarch butterflies

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Aug-2021

New genus of extinct elephant fish discovered in Moscow

A paper saw light in Paleontological Journal.

The finding of the remains of the Moskovirhynchus confirms that elephant chimaeroids of modern appearance have existed in the central part of Russia since the end of the Jurassic period.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KAZAN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: MORPHOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF MANDIBULAR AND PALATINE TOOTH PLATES OF MOSKOVIRHYNCHUS ROBUSTUS GEN. ET SP. NOV. AND TERMINOLOGY USED IN TEXT; (A–C) SGU, NO. 155/65, RIGHT MANDIBULAR (L18, LS3.2) PLATE: (A) SYMPHYSEAL-OCCLUSAL VIEW, (B) BASAL VIEW, (C) LINGUAL CROSS-SECTION; MOSCOW, KUNTSEVO; UPPER JURASSIC, MIDDLE VOLGIAN, VIRGATUS ZONE; (D–E) SGU, NO. 155/66, LEFT PALATINE (L19.8) PLATE: (D) OCCLUSIVE VIEW, (E) BASAL VIEW, (F) LINGUAL CROSS-SECTION; MOSCOW REGION, LOPATINSKY PHOSPHORITE MINE NO. 7-2-BIS; UPPER JURASSIC, MIDDLE VOLGIAN, ?VIRGATUS ZONE. ABBREVIATIONS: DAMAGED SURFACES AND PARTS OF THE PLATE CROSS-HATCHED; VASCULAR PLEROMIN OF TRITORS STIPPLED; LAMINAR PLEROMIN IN GREY; ORIENTATION OF MISSING PARTS OF TOOTH PLATES AS DOTTED LINE. ABBREVIATIONS: (’), INT’, SYT’ ETC. PLEROMIN BODIES OF THE CORRESPONDING TRITORS IN LINGUAL CROSS-SECTION; ABT, ABORAL PART OF THE PLATE; DA, DISTAL ANGLE; FBP, FIELD OF BASAL PERFORATION (LIGHT GREY FILL); IBMT, INNER BRANCH OF MEDIAN TRITOR; INT, INNER TRITOR; L, MESIODISTAL LENGTH; LAM, LABIAL MARGIN; LDL, LATERAL DESCENDING LAMINA; LGR, GROWTH LINES ON THE SURFACE OF “COMPACT GLOSSY TISSUE”, LIM, LINGUAL MARGIN; LS, LENGTH OF SYMPHYSEAL PLATFORM ON MANDIBULAR PLATE; LWF, LABIAL WEAR FACET; MA, MESIAL ANGLE; OBMT, OUTER BRANCH OF MEDIAN TRITOR; ORT, ORAL PART OF PLATE; OUT, OUTER TRITOR; SDL, SYMPHYSEAL DESCENDING LAMINA; SPL, SYMPHYSEAL SURFACE; SYM, SYMPHYSEAL MARGIN; UWS, UNWORN PART OF THE OCCLUSIVE SURFACE. view more 

CREDIT: KAZAN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

Chimaeroid fish are a small group of cartilaginous fish in terms of the number of species. In their appearance, there are features of different fish, which was the reason for the first scientific name Chimaera monstrosa (“terrible chimera”), given to one of the species by the great Swedish naturalist of the XVIII century Karl Linnaeus. This name was assigned to the whole group.

Chimaeroids are found in the seas of the Arctic and Pacific oceans. In ancient times, they were more numerous and varied in the shallow seas covering modern continents. Dental plates and spines of the dorsal fins predominate among the findings. There are similar deposits with the remains of ancient animals in our country, and in the very center of it no less – in Moscow.

New material on chimeras was collected thanks to the efforts of the Muscovite amateur paleontologist and photographer Kirill Shapovalov, who co-authored the study. As a result, a small collection of 8 small dental plates ranging in size from 7 to 27 mm was collected, which served as the basis for a scientific study carried out by Evgeny Popov, a chimaeroid expert.

“Comparing the obtained material with dental plates of both fossils and modern chimeras made it possible to substantiate the identification of a new genus and species in the family of elephant chimeras (Callorhinchidae), which received the Latin name Moskovirhynchus robustus. The name can be roughly translated as ‘Moscow snout with strong teeth.’ The size of the fish was small – about 50 centimeters,” explains Popov.

The uppermost deposits of the Jurassic system, corresponding in time to the late Jurassic epoch (163-145 million years ago), were found along the banks of the Moskva River in the western part of the city. They were objects of geological excursions back in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. At that time, Moscow was significantly smaller in size, and there were no buildings in these areas. The remains of chimeras here were very rare fossils: the only find discovered in 1912 was described by the Russian paleontologist Bogolyubov. After that, there were no new findings for almost a century.

“Only at the very end of the 20th century, when the territory was already built up, embankments and multi-storey buildings appeared, the outcrops of the very top of the Upper Jurassic deposits remained in several natural foci – the so-called Volgian stage (152-145 million years ago). One of these centers was the Kuntsevo-Fili Natural Park, where these deposits could be locally obtained in the streams flowing into the Moskva River,” continues Popov.

The study of the structural features of the dental plates of the Moskovirhynchus showed that its dental system is characterized by a mosaic combination of primitive and evolutionarily advanced features, which distinguishes it from the dental system of modern elephant chimaeroids. The finding of the remains of the Moskovirhynchus confirms that elephant chimaeroids of modern appearance have existed in the central part of Russia since the end of the Jurassic period.

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JOURNAL

Paleontological Journal

DOI

10.1134/S0031030121040122 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

A New Genus of Elephant Fish (Holocephali: Callorhinchidae) from the Late Jurassic of Central Russia

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021