Survey finds most men think they’re naturally healthier than others, a third don’t think they need annual health screenings

Doctors stress the importance of preventive care to keep minor issues from becoming life-threatening

Reports and Proceedings

ORLANDO HEALTH

 

VIDEO: A NEW NATIONAL SURVEY BY ORLANDO HEALTH FINDS A THIRD OF MEN DON’T THINK THEY NEED ANNUAL HEALTH SCREENINGS. DOCTORS STRESS THAT IN ORDER TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE YOU CARE ABOUT, YOU MUST FIRST TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND THAT INCLUDES AN ANNUAL CHECKUP WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. view more 

CREDIT: ORLANDO HEALTH

Orlando, Fla — We all know we should eat well and exercise to stay healthy, but a new national survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Orlando Health finds an alarming number of men might be skipping a simple yet critical step in a healthy lifestyle: an annual checkup with their doctor. The survey found a third of men (33%) don’t think they need annual health screenings and almost two-thirds (65%) believe they are naturally healthier than others in general.

“It is statistically impossible for the majority of men to be healthier than the majority of men,” said Thomas Kelley, MD, family medicine specialist at Orlando Health Physician Associates. “Even if you think you’re healthy and you’re not experiencing any symptoms, there can be developing issues that often go unnoticed and can also be life-threatening if left unchecked. Some of those include rising blood pressure that can be a ticking time bomb for a heart attack or stroke, as well as colon cancer, which is one of the most deadly yet preventable cancers that exist.”

As a primary care physician, Dr. Kelley has heard every excuse for men skipping their appointments, but he says the underlying reason for avoiding the doctor’s office is often fear.

“If you're a man and you haven't been to the doctor in a while, you don't really know what to expect.” Kelley said. “One of the big things that makes it less scary is having that great relationship with a primary care physician, and most men find the process to be easier than they thought. It takes about half an hour and by the end of the appointment you have the big picture about where you stand, what you’re at risk for and what you need to do for your health in the future.”

While that first appointment back can be nerve-racking, Kelley says building trust with your doctor can help make conversations more comfortable and is what keeps many patients coming back year after year.

But before doctors can build that relationship, they need to get patients in the door. The survey found that 38% of men often get medical advice from social media, which can be extremely problematic if they are not referencing reputable medical sources. Nearly two in five men (38%) also admit that they tend to focus on their pet’s health more than their own, something that is not surprising to Dr. Kelley.

“Men tend to put their health last after their family, and apparently even after their dog or their cat,” Kelley said. “But in order to take care of others in your life, you first have to take care of yourself, and that includes making that yearly appointment with your primary care doctor.”

It’s a message that Dexter Grant, 34, finally heard loud and clear after 15 years without a check-up with his doctor.  

“I went all of my adult life up to this point without a check-up, something I certainly do not recommend to anyone,” Grant said. “In your 30s you start to worry that every ache and pain could be the thing that takes you out, but you can’t just avoid the issue out of fear of what your doctor is going to tell you.”

CAPTION

Dexter Grant finally made an appointment with his primary care doctor after 15 years without a checkup. Like many men, he assumed he was healthy. In fact, a new national survey finds two-thirds of men believe they are naturally healthier than others.

CREDIT

Orlando Health

With a clean bill of health, Grant is relieved to know that he is as healthy as he feels. He worked with his doctor on clear action steps for the future, which will always include an annual wellness exam. 

“Just having the peace of mind that there aren’t any lingering issues that can cause serious problems in the next year makes me a lot more confident that I’m on the right path,” Grant said. “The process was surprisingly easy, and after a quick exam and some routine blood work, my first thought was that I should have done this a long time ago.”

It’s never too late to get caught up on routine appointments and screenings, but Kelley says the sooner you can take control of your health, the better. Combining annual exams with things like exercising regularly, keeping your diet in check, drinking plenty of water and finding ways to reduce stress can make a big difference in your overall health. 

“It’s much easier to go to the doctor once a year for a wellness checkup and make certain that you’re not developing diabetes, high blood pressure or a heart problem, than to find yourself in an intensive care unit needing heart bypass surgery because you didn't look into those things,” Kelley said.

CAPTION

As a primary care physician, Thomas Kelley, MD, has heard a lot of excuses about why men skip their checkups. A new national survey by Orlando Health finds a third of men don’t think they need annual screenings, but Kelley says they are critical to identifying developing health issues.

CREDIT

Orlando Health

Survey Method:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Orlando Health from May 9 - 11, 2022 among 893 U.S. adult men ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval.  For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact ben@mediasourcetv.com 

---

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

Eating problems are common among older home care clients

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

Eating problems are common among older home care clients, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Nearly 30% of the 250 older care clients studied reported poor appetite, 20% had problems with chewing, 14% had problems with swallowing, and nearly 20% reported eating problems related to teeth or dentures.

The study constitutes part of the Nutrition, Oral Health and Medication (NutOrMed) study at the University of Eastern Finland, and the findings were reported in Clinical and Experimental Dental Research.

The study sample included 250 home care clients aged 75 and older, living in the eastern part of Finland. The participants were interviewed in their home by their own home care nurse as well as by a clinical nutritionist, a pharmacist, and a dental hygienist. The study examined the prevalence and determinants of eating problems when screened by a clinical nutritionist and a dental hygienist.

Eating problems are associated with decreased food intake and poorer nutritional status

Eating problems were divided into loss of appetite, problems with chewing, problems with swallowing, and oral health-related eating problems. The researchers found that all reported eating problems were associated with the participants’ poorer nutritional status and decreased food intake during the past 3 months.

They also found that participants who estimated their oral health to be poor were more likely to report problems with chewing and swallowing. Edentulousness, on the other hand, increased the likelihood of problems with chewing and oral health problems. A high number of drugs in regular use was associated with loss of appetite and oral health-related eating problems. Edentulous participants and those who had toothache or problems with dentures were more likely to report eating problems when interviewed by a dental hygienist. The feeling of dry mouth increased the likelihood of eating problems. 

“It is important for older people to maintain good oral health because it affects eating,” says Dentist Annina Salmi, the first author of the article.

“In this study, loss of appetite was the most common finding, suggesting that eating problems are multifaceted. Another thing we observed was that clients talk about their eating-related problems differently with different health care professionals, which is why eating problems should be screened continuously and in different ways, in interprofessional collaboration.”

---

JOURNAL

Clinical and Experimental Dental Research

DOI

10.1002/cre2.585 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Eating problems among old home care clients

New study shows fewer suicide attempts in women using hormonal contraceptives

Findings go against previous fears about attempted suicide and contraception

Reports and Proceedings

EUROPEAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION

 

IMAGE: DR ELENA TOFFOL view more 

CREDIT: DR ELENA TOFFOL

Hormonal contraceptives, such as the birth control pill, are amongst the most widely used pharmaceutical products. Recent studies had suggested that hormonal contraceptives were associated with a higher risk of attempted suicides, prompting concerns about safety. Now a new in-depth study shows that rates of attempted suicides in women using hormonal contraception are actually lower than in women who do not use hormonal contraception.

Presenting the research at the European Congress of Psychiatry, Lead Researcher, Dr Elena Toffol (University of Helsinki) said:

“We set out to verify previous data, so this is not what we expected, and it’s good news for contraceptive users”.

She continued:

“Women, especially younger women, have higher rates of depression and attempted suicide than men of similar ages. Many women using hormonal contraceptives, especially contraceptive pills, report mood changes as a side effect. Initial reports from 2018 and 2020 had indicated that use of hormonal contraceptives was associated with a higher number / risk of suicides and suicide attempts. We set out to confirm this data”.

The researchers, from the University of Helsinki, used several Finnish national databases to compare attempted suicide rates of hormonal contraceptives users and non-users using data from the 2017-2019 period. They took results from 587,823 women, which represents around 50% of the total number of women in the 15-49 age group in Finland. Half of these women had used hormonal contraceptives, including pills, implants, patches, and rings.

The research team found that attempted suicide rates between hormonal contraceptive users and non-users were similarly high in women between 15-19 (in general, suicide rates are higher in younger women and decrease with age), but suicide rates dropped in older age groups, with a greater drop in hormonal contraceptive users relative to non-users in the 20-24 and 25-29 age groups. In total the researchers saw 474* cases of attempted suicide in women who didn’t use hormonal contraceptives, with only 344 attempts in women who used hormonal contraceptives. Women not using contraceptives had a 37% greater odds of attempting suicide in comparison with those using hormonal contraceptives.

Dr Toffol continued

“The strength of this study is the large size, and that we broke the data down according to suicide attempts, psychiatric history, age and contraceptive use. We included a wider age range than the other studies, and importantly, we used a ‘nested’ study design, where we were able to pair each attempted suicide to 4 control subjects, which allows us see if contraceptive use in the previous six months was a factor in the attempt. After doing this we found that women with no psychiatric history and using hormonal contraceptives, specifically those containing ethinylestradiol had a significantly reduced risk of attempting suicide than women not using any hormonal contraception.

The data indicates redeemed prescriptions, and of course it may be that some of these prescriptions were redeemed but not used. Overall though, we think we have been able to account for most confounding factors. Our next step is to use data from this same population to examine the risk of depression associated with hormonal contraception use”.

 

Commenting, Professor Andrea Fiorillo (University of Campania, Naples) said:

“This interesting study focused on the complex relationship between hormonal contraception exposure and suicidal behaviour. Previous studies found a relationship between hormonal contraceptives use and higher risk of attempted suicide. The study by Toffol disconfirms this finding, showing that the rates of suicide attempts are actually lower in women using hormonal contraception. Of course, this striking finding deserves a careful evaluation and needs to be replicated in different cohorts of women and controlled for the impact of several psychosocial stressors, such as economic upheavals, social insecurity and uncertainty due to the COVID pandemic. The clinical implications of the study are obvious and may help to destigmatize the use of hormonal contraceptives.”

This is an independent comment, Professor Fiorillo was not involved in this study. Professor Fiorillo is Treasurer of the European Psychiatric Association and Editor in Chief of the journal European Psychiatry.

*The researchers observed 474 cases of AS (IR 0.81 per 1000 person-years, 95% CI 0.74–0.88), while among HC users there were 344 AS cases (IR 0.59, 95% CI 0.53–0.65). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) of HC vs. no-HC users was 0.73 (0.63–0.83).

 

ENDS

Some patients with lung disease fare worse than others. Could sleep explain it?

Flare-ups in COPD linked to sleeplessness, UCSF-led study shows

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO

A study led by UC San Francisco researchers shows that insufficient or interrupted sleep may have more of an impact than smoking history in patients with a progressive lung disease. 
 
The researchers found that for patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), inadequate sleep may boost their risk of a flare-up by up to 95% compared to those with good sleep. Over time, these flare-ups, which manifest with worsening shortness of breath and cough, may cause irreversible lung damage, and accelerate disease progression and mortality.  
 
The findings appear online in the journal SLEEP on June 6, 2022. They may partially explain why African American patients with COPD tend to fare worse than white patients, said first author Aaron Baugh, MD, a clinical fellow at the UCSF Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, and the Cardiovascular Research Institute.  
 
“African Americans are over-represented in low-income neighborhoods, where people are less likely to have good quality sleep. They may live in crowded spaces with multiple roommates, and have less comfortable sleeping conditions, such as a couch, and they may work in a job with a varying schedule that lends itself to sleep disruption,” said Baugh, noting that research shows sleep deprivation is associated with a drop in infection-fighting antibodies and protective cytokines.  
 
The researchers followed 1,647 patients with confirmed COPD, who were enrolled in the national, multi-center SPIROMICS study, designed to monitor the progression of the disease and evaluate effectiveness of treatments. Over a three-year duration, the researchers recorded flare-ups, defined as short-term worsening of symptoms requiring treatment, and compared their incidence with self-reported data on sleep quality. 
 
Poor Sleep Raises Risk of Flare-Ups From 25% to 95% 
 
At the start of the study, the average age of the participants was 65 and the average stage of the disease was moderate. Over half of the participants (57%) were male; 80% were white and 14% were African American. All were current or former smokers, who underwent at least one sleep evaluation at enrollment. The researchers found that compared to participants with optimal sleep, those at the base level of poor sleep had a 25% increased chance of a flare-up within the next year, rising to almost 95% within the next year for those with the worst sleep.  
 
This may amount to a more pronounced effect than the impact of smoking over a 40-year period, versus a 60-year period, said Baugh.  
 
As expected, more African Americans reported poor sleep than did white participants: 63% versus 52%. 
 
 “While factors like health insurance coverage or respiratory hazards may play important roles in severity of the disease, poor sleep may gain even more significance when African Americans’ social status improves,” said Baugh. “This can lead to a kind of paradox; in reducing one risk factor, a new risk factor – poor sleep – may take its place.” 
 
Yet-to-be published data will show that African Americans have worse sleep even when socio-economic factors and severity of COPD are accounted for, Baugh said.  
 
Senior author and pulmonologist Neeta Thakur, MD, of the UCSF School of Medicine said that questions about sleep are often overlooked by physicians evaluating patients with COPD. “Sleep hygiene and sleep aids may significantly improve their health,” she said. “Sleep should be considered both in the clinic and at the wider community/neighborhood level, where the structural factors that contribute to worse sleep can be addressed.”  
 

Co-Authors: Please refer to the paper. 

Funding: SPIROMICS was supported by contracts from the NIH/NHLBI (HHSN268200900013C, HHSN268200900014C, HHSN268200900015C, HHSN268200900016C, HHSN268200900017C, HHSN268200900018C, HHSN268200900019C, HHSN268200900020C), and grants from the NIH/NHLBI (U01 HL137880 and U24 HL141762). Please refer to the paper for full disclosures. 
 

About UCSF: The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF's primary academic medical center, includes top-ranked specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Learn more at https://www.ucsf.edu, or see our Fact Sheet.

###

Follow UCSF
ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/ucsf | YouTube.com/ucsf

 

---

JOURNAL

SLEEP

Man vs. machine: New Leicester research to compare human eye-tracking with AI in first study of its kind

The human brain’s ability to track and process hazards will be pitted against an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool in a new interdisciplinary research study at the University of Leicester

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

The human brain’s ability to track and process hazards will be pitted against an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool in a new interdisciplinary research study at the University of Leicester.

Researchers in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences have combined efforts with visual perception experts from Leicester’s Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour to shape the study, which will track participants’ eye movements when faced with multiple fast-moving hazards simultaneously.

The research will be used to inform the next generation of a rail safety device being developed as part of an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Leicester experts and systems engineering specialists Synoptix.

The OPTIMUS prototype – installed at a Network Rail-operated level crossing near Cheltenham earlier this year – uses machine learning and an AI-based object detection system, hosted locally on the small edge-based device, to identify and quantify different types of traffic.

Now, this new interdisciplinary aspect of the project will allow researchers to compare both the accuracy and speed of its detection capability to a human completing the same task. It is believed that the study is the first of its kind in comparing humans and AI for the task of ‘visual census’ in this way.

George Leete is KTP Research Associate within the Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Modelling (AIDAM) Centre at the University of Leicester, and leads development of the machine learning aspect of the project under the supervision of Professor Ivan Tyukin. He said:

“The question was asked on the project ‘How good is good?’, in relation to the performance of the OPTIMUS system at the crossing. I’m confident that the results of this study will lend us some valuable insight into this question, firstly how good humans are at the current task, and secondly whether our current system holds up to human standards. We believe this is the first time an AI-based system will be validated against a standard in this way, opening the door for other systems to be validated via a similar method.”

Dr David Souto, Dr Doug Barrett and Dr Claire Hutchinson make up the team of Leicester psychologists lending their expertise to the study.

Dr Claire Hutchinson, Associate Professor in Experimental Psychology at the University of Leicester said:

“We are really excited to be involved in this interdisciplinary work. Comparing AI and human performance in this way will help us understand how the human brain identifies and weights visual information so that we can safely navigate the world around us.”

Stephen Measures, Project Lead at Synoptix, added:

“Synoptix are delighted to have the opportunity to work with both Leicester’s School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour on this breakthrough study. The results of this will be crucial to help our project team validate the performance and effectiveness of the Optimus prototype system and its AI model, when compared to a human based approach to object census.”

Justin Mountjoy, Programmes Director at Synoptix, adds:

“We feel very privileged to be part of this Collegiate working group as we seek to push the boundaries of this project which has the potential to be a market leader in AI and Data Analytics; not only will it have a huge impact on Artificial Intelligence technologies, but it has real significance in being a fully interactive element to increase safety across Network Rail’s infrastructure.”

According to Network Rail, which is responsible for the country’s rail infrastructure, there are around 6,000 level crossings in the UK. Figures for 2019/20 show that there were 316 near misses with pedestrians on UK level crossings, and two pedestrian fatalities.

The OPTIMUS prototype was installed at a site on the Cross Country Route in January 2022 and has already identified hundreds of thousands of movements on the crossing, including pedestrians, cyclists and other road traffic. As the identification and categorisation of users occurs locally on the device – and the only data transmitted is of traffic numbers and types – the privacy of crossing users is protected in line with data protection guidelines.

Synoptix provides multi-disciplinary systems engineering support across various technical industries. The organisation is certified by the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) for the provision of Systems and Safety Engineering Consultancy to the Rail Industry. The KTP is funded by Innovate UK.

Scientists use multivalent cation additives to rid rechargeable batteries of a common pitfall

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: CAPTION: MULTIVALENT CATION ADDITIVES MODIFY THE SOLVATION STRUCTURE OF LITHIUM OR SODIUM CATIONS IN ELECTROLYTES AND CONTRIBUTE TO FLAT ELECTRODEPOSITION MORPHOLOGY. view more 

CREDIT: HONGYI LI

Researchers at Tohoku University have unearthed a means to stabilize lithium or sodium depositions in rechargeable batteries, helping keep their metallic structure intact. The discovery prevents potential battery degradation and short circuiting, and paves the way for higher energy-density metal-anode batteries.

Scientists are ever-seeking to develop safer, higher-capacity, and faster charging rechargeable batteries to meet our energy needs sustainably. Metal anodes show the highest promise to achieve that goal. Yet the use of alkali metals poses several problems.

In a rechargeable battery, ions pass from the cathode to the anode when charging, and in the opposite direction when generating power. Repeated deposition and dissolution of metal deforms the structures of lithium and sodium. Additionally, fluctuations in diffusion and electric fields in the electrolytes close to the electrode surface leads to the formation of needle-like microstructures called dendrites. The dendrites are weakly bonded and peel away from the electrodes, resulting in short circuiting and decreases in cycle capacity.

To solve this problem, a research team led by Hongyi Li and Tetsu Ichitsubo from Tohoku University's Institute for Materials Research added multivalent cations, such as calcium ions, that altered and strengthened the solvation structure of lithium or sodium ions in the electrolyte.

"Our modified structure moderates the reduction of lithium or sodium ions on the electrode surface and enables a stable diffusion and electric field," said Dr Li. The stabilized ions, in turn, preserve the structure of the electrodeposited metals.

Details of their research were published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science on May 20, 2022.

For their next steps, Li and Ichitsubo are hoping to improve the metal anodes' interfacial design to further enhance the cycle life and power density of the batteries.

---

JOURNAL

Cell Reports Physical Science

DOI

10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100907 

ARTICLE TITLE

Dendrite-free alkali metal electrodeposition from contact-ion-pair state induced by mixing alkaline earth cation

Nano-sensor detects pesticides on fruit in minutes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET

 

IMAGE: FLAME NANOPARTICLE DEPOSITION WAS USED TO PRODUCE ROBUST NANO-SENSORS THAT CAN DETECT PESTICIDE RESIDUES ON APPLE SURFACES WITHIN MINUTES. view more 

CREDIT: ARTWORK BY HAIPENG LI AND GEORGIOS A SOTIRIOU.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a tiny sensor for detecting pesticides on fruit in just a few minutes. The technique, described as a proof-of-concept in a paper in the journal Advanced Science, uses flame-sprayed nanoparticles made from silver to increase the signal of chemicals. While still at an early stage, the researchers hope these nano-sensors could help uncover food pesticides before consumption.

“Reports show that up to half of all fruits sold in the EU contain pesticide residues that in larger quantities have been linked to human health problems,” says Georgios Sotiriou, principal researcher at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, and the study’s corresponding author. “However, current techniques for detecting pesticides on single products before consumption are restricted in practice by the high cost and cumbersome manufacturing of its sensors. To overcome this, we developed inexpensive and reproducible nano-sensors that could be used to monitor traces of fruit pesticides at, for example, the store.”

The new nano-sensors employ a 1970s discovery known as surface-enhanced Raman scattering, or SERS, a powerful sensing technique that can increase the diagnostic signals of biomolecules on metal surfaces by more than 1 million times. The technology has been used in several research fields, including chemical and environmental analysis as well as to detect biomarkers for various diseases. However, high production costs and limited batch-to-batch reproducibility have so far hindered widespread application in food safety diagnostics.

Flame spray technology

In the current study, the researchers created a SERS nano-sensor by using flame spray – a well-established and cost-effective technique for depositing metallic coating – to deliver small droplets of silver nanoparticles onto a glass surface.

“The flame spray can be used to quickly produce uniform SERS films across large areas, removing one of the key barriers to scalability,” says Haipeng Li, a postdoctoral researcher in Sotiriou’s lab and the study’s first author.

The researchers then finetuned the distance between the individual silver nanoparticles to enhance their sensitivity. To test their substance-detecting ability, they applied a thin layer of tracer dye on top of the sensors and used a spectrometer to uncover their molecular fingerprints. The sensors reliably and uniformly detected the molecular signals and their performance remained intact when tested again after 2,5 months, which underscores their shelf life potential and feasibility for large-scale production, according to the researchers.

Detected pesticides on apples

To test the sensors’ practical application, the researchers calibrated them to detect low concentrations of parathion-ethyl, a toxic agricultural insecticide that is banned or restricted in most countries. A small amount of parathion-ethyl was placed on part of an apple. The residues were later collected with a cotton swab that was immersed in a solution to dissolve the pesticide molecules. The solution was dropped on the sensor, which confirmed the presence of pesticides.

“Our sensors can detect pesticide residues on apple surfaces in a short time of five minutes without destroying the fruit,” Haipeng Li says. “While they need to be validated in larger studies, we offer a proof-of-concept practical application for food safety testing at scale before consumption.”

Next, the researchers want to explore if the nano-sensors can be applied to other areas such as discovering biomarkers for specific diseases at the point-of-care in resource-limited settings.

The research was funded by the European Research Council (ERC), Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) and the Swedish Research Council.

Publication: “SERS Hotspot Engineering by Aerosol Self-Assembly of Plasmonic Ag Nanoaggregates with Tunable Interparticle Distance.” Haipeng Li, Padryk Merkl, Jens Sommertune, Thomas Thersleff, and Georgios A. Sotiriou, Advanced Science, online June 7, 2022, doi: 10.1002/advs.202201133

---

JOURNAL

Advanced Science

DOI

10.1002/advs.202201133 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

“SERS Hotspot Engineering by Aerosol Self-Assembly of Plasmonic Ag Nanoaggregates with Tunable Interparticle Distance"

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Jun-2022

Indigenous Borneans knew a tree was two distinct species— genetic analysis confirms they were right

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CELL PRESS

 

IMAGE: THIS IMAGE SHOWS A LUMOK PINGAN FRUIT (LEFT) AND A LUMOK AMAT FRUIT (LEFT). view more 

CREDIT: GARDENER ET AL./CURRENT BIOLOGY

Over 200 years ago, a Spanish botanist described Artocarpus odoratissimus, a species of fruit-bearing tree found in Borneo and the Philippines. The Iban people, who are indigenous to Borneo, know the tree to have two different varieties, which they call lumok and pingan, distinguished by their fruit size and shape. Despite this knowledge, Western botanists have long considered the tree as a single species, but a genetic analysis, published June 6 in the journal Current Biology, confirms the Iban people were right all along.

To determine the correct taxonomy of the tree, which is in the same genus as the trees that produce the meaty jackfruit, scientists took DNA samples from trees in Malaysian Borneo and from historical herbarium specimens. They employed phylogenetic analyses and DNA microsatellites to show that while lumok and pingan are closely related, they are genetically distinct species. The scientists recommend that the trees be renamed to reflect this and suggest that it’s time to consider incorporating Indigenous names into taxonomic research.

“While the scientific endeavor has long benefitted from Indigenous knowledge, it has usually not engaged with it on equal footing,” write the authors, which include Malaysian scientists and Iban field botanists, led by Elliot M. Gardner (@elliotmgardner), a botanist at Florida International University. “While Linnaean taxonomy offers a broad framework for global comparisons, it may lack the detailed local insights possessed by Indigenous peoples.”

“Time is of the essence, because just as biodiversity is under threat of climate change, Indigenous knowledge—itself protected under Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity—is threatened by societal change,” Gardner and colleagues say.

###

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Garden Club of America, the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, the Botanical Society of America, the Systematics Association, the Linnean Society, EU-SYNTHESYS, and the Garfield Weston foundation.

Current Biology, Gardner et al: “Engagement with indigenous knowledge improves our understanding of biodiversity and promotes the conservation of both” https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)00680-7

Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.

---

JOURNAL

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.062 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Engagement with indigenous knowledge improves our understanding of biodiversity and promotes the conservation of both

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Jun-2022

Exotic tree plantations can disturb local wildlife, researchers find

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

 

IMAGE: COPROPHANAEUS LANCIFER, THE LARGEST DUNG BEETLE SPECIES IN THE STUDY REGION view more 

CREDIT: HANNAH GRIFFITHS

Initiatives using non-native tree species can impact tropical insects in neighbouring forests, according to an international study.

Scientists at the University of Bristol and Federal University of Western Pará, in Brazil have found that Eucalyptus plantation edge effects radiates up to 800 meters into the interior of nearby Amazonian forests, when applied to ecologically important dung beetles.

As the world seeks to mitigate human-induced climate change, planted forests have become widespread restoration strategy across the globe. However the findings, published today in Forest Ecology and Management, suggest that while well-intentioned, exotic tree plantations can have a wider influence on the native biodiversity of hyperdiverse tropical forests.

In ecology, edge effect research investigates how biological populations or communities change at the boundary of two or more habitats.

To further understand the edge effect, the team of scientists travelled to the Amazon Rainforest and collected over 3,700 dung beetles from 49 species to evaluate how Eucalyptus plantations affect the insect biodiversity in neighbouring Amazonian forests.

“Our findings for dung beetles offer new insights into the importance of considering how proximity to exotic tree plantations can affect tropical forest biodiversity,” said Dr Filipe França of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, and co-supervisor of the lead author.

He said: “Importantly, edge effects varied across dung beetle responses and were species-specific. For example, we found more dung beetle species far away from Eucalyptus plantations, but some species also thrived and had higher abundances closer to plantation edges.”

This means that some dung beetles may be more sensitive to changes in forest environment closer to exotic tree plantations than others edge-affiliated and generalist species.

“Understanding multi-species responses to anthropogenic disturbances is crucial to tackle the current biodiversity crisis and our findings are vital for forest managers and conservation planners aiming to maintain forest-specialist biodiversity in native ecosystems across the tropics,” explained Professor Rodrigo Fadini from the Federal University of Western Pará.

  

CAPTION

Canthon fulgidus, a roller-dung beetle species in the study region

CREDIT

Dr Filipe França

Paper:

‘Edge effects from exotic tree plantations and environmental context drive dung beetle assemblages within Amazonian undisturbed forests’ by  Maria Katiane Costa, Filipe França, Carlos Brocardo, and Rodrigo Fadini in Forest Ecology and Management.

---

JOURNAL

Forest Ecology and Management

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Edge effects from exotic tree plantations and environmental context drive dung beetle assemblages within Amazonian undisturbed forests

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Jun-2022