Citizen-scientist study fuels launch of first interactive US county map of ticks carrying diseases

Study finds ticks carrying disease-causing bacteria in 116 US counties where they have not been previously documented by CDC

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE TRANSLATIONAL GENOMICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., and PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif. — Oct. 20, 2021 — A study jointly led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Northern Arizona University and Colorado State University, in partnership with the Bay Area Lyme Foundation (BAL), has identified ticks carrying disease-causing pathogens in 116 counties across the nation not previously identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). TGen is an affiliate of City of Hope.

As a result of the study’s findings — published in the journal mSphere — BAL, a leading nonprofit funder of innovative Lyme disease research in the U.S., today announced the launch of interactive national tick maps of U.S. counties.

“These maps will be eye-opening for many Americans as it makes it easy to see that ticks carrying disease-causing bacteria can be commonly found across the U.S.,” said Tanner Porter, M.S., a Research Associate in TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division, and the study’s lead author. “If you aren’t aware of the possibility of ticks, either in your backyard or while traveling, you are unlikely to look for them. But an unseen tick can still transmit a pathogen and cause disease. It is important for everyone to know to look for ticks, be aware of the pathogens that they carry, and takes steps to mitigate their risk.”

Citizen-scientists collected and provided the ticks evaluated in the study as part of BAL’s Free Tick Testing program, which collected more than 20,400 ticks, of which 8,954 are Ixodes ticks capable of carrying the most common tick-borne pathogens.

“We continue to expand the area known to harbor disease-carrying ticks, and we hope people across the U.S. will use this interactive map to learn more about the risks for their hometowns, their family’s residences and vacation spots,” said Linda Giampa, Executive Director of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. “The citizen-scientists contributing to this study allowed the country’s collective tick knowledge to advance further than even the CDC could do at this time. Gaining the support of citizen-scientists allowed us to collect from many counties across the country where ticks are not usually collected and tested, or they are not tested for these pathogens.”

The types of ticks that were tested were: Ixodes scapularis, also known as the blacklegged tick or the deer tick, which are found in the Northeast, Midwest and South; and Ixodes pacificus, also known as the western blacklegged tick, which lives in the West. The interactive maps will only represent data from this citizen-science study, and do not represent the total risk of tick-borne infections in the U.S.

The study evaluated the distribution and prevalence of the four most common tick-borne pathogens:

• Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the group which causes Lyme disease.
• Borrelia miyamotoi, which causes tick-borne relapsing fever.
• Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis.
• A protozoan pathogen known as Babesia microti.

Lyme disease findings

Overall, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, was identified in 293 U.S. counties across 29 states, and in 1,279 (14%) of the ticks submitted. Lyme bacteria were found in ticks in 75% of all counties in the Northeastern United States, and in 23% of ticks submitted from this region. In the Midwest, the bacteria were found in 78% of counties. In the West, Lyme bacteria were found in ticks in 26% of the surveyed counties. And in the South, Lyme bacteria was found in ticks from 15% of the surveyed counties, where the prevalence of the bacteria among submitted ticks was 3%.

Tick borne relapsing fever findings

The bacteria which causes tick borne relapsing fever, Borrelia miyamotoi, was identified in 80 counties, primarily in the Northeast and West. Approximately 1% (113 ticks) of the ticks tested from the Northeast were carrying carried the bacteria. The bacteria were also detected in 2.5% of Southern counties, and 4% of those in the West.

Anaplasmosis findings

The bacteria causing human granulocytic anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease carried by ticks that can lead to organ failure, was detected in 128 counties across the U.S. with a prevalence of up to 5.3% among ticks in each county. This included 42% of counties in the Northeast, 20% of counties in the Midwest, and 24% of counties in the West.

Babesiosis findings

Babesia microti was identified in 71 counties in the Northeast, Midwest and South, with an average of 2% of ticks submitted from these counties carrying the parasite. Babesia microti was not detected in any ticks in the West. A related parasite, Babesia duncani, is found in Western states but was not evaluated in this study.

Typical tick collection methods involve researchers canvasing various terrain with large sheet-like material, which collects ticks, but does not take into account a tick’s natural attraction to mammals. The limitations of citizen studies include uneven awareness of the program across geographic areas, the fact that ticks may remain attached to a person as they travel, and reliance on the motivation of people who encounter ticks.

The BAL-supporter tick-testing initiative was conducted initially by a scientific group at NAU led by the late Nate Nieto, Ph.D., which was based on ticks collected from citizen-scientists from January 2016 through August 2019. Ticks were submitted from every state except Alaska. The program received a six-fold increase in tick submissions over initial estimates, representing an unprecedented national coordination of a citizen-science effort and diagnostic investigation.

The study — Citizen Science Provides an Efficient Method for Broad-Scale Tick-Borne Pathogen Surveillance of Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis across the United States — was published in mSphere, a multidisciplinary open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

# # #

About Lyme disease
The most common vector-borne infectious disease in the country, Lyme disease is a potentially disabling infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets. If caught early, most cases of Lyme disease can be effectively treated, but it is commonly misdiagnosed due to lack of awareness and unreliable diagnostic tests. Even with these challenges, it is estimated that there are nearly 500,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year, according to the most recent CDC statistics.

About TGen, an affiliate of City of Hope
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life-changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases: CityofHope.org.  This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases through cutting-edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research toward patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and complex rare diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen.

TGen Media Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
syozwiak@tgen.org

About Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a national organization committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure, is the leading public not-for-profit sponsor of innovative Lyme disease research in the US. A 501c3 non-profit organization based in Silicon Valley. Bay Area Lyme Foundation collaborates with world-class scientists and institutions to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease. It is also dedicated to providing reliable, fact-based information so that prevention and the importance of early treatment are common knowledge. A pivotal donation from The LaureL Foundation covers overhead costs and allows for 100% of all donor contributions to Bay Area Lyme Foundation to go directly to research and prevention programs. For more information about Lyme disease or to get involved, visit www.bayarealyme.org or call us at 650-530-2439.

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JOURNAL

mSphere

DOI

10.1128/mSphere.00682-21 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Citizen Science Provides an Efficient Method for Broad-Scale Tick-Borne Pathogen Surveillance of Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis across the United States

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

29-Sep-2021

Disclaimer: AAAS an

Anxiety impacts ability to perceive changes in our breathing -- Otago researcher reveals

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO

People with higher levels of anxiety have altered perceptions of their breathing, which can lead to even more anxiety, a University of Otago researcher has found.

Lead author Dr Olivia Harrison, now a Rutherford Discovery Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology, says anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions, with even more people suffering in the current pandemic.

For the paper, published in Neuron, the researchers looked at how the symptoms of anxiety which end up in our body – such as a racing heart, sweaty palms, fast breathing – can feed back and possibly start a negative spiral of emotions, creating even more anxiety.

The study, conducted by Dr Harrison while at the University of Zurich, involved thirty healthy people with low anxiety and thirty people with moderate levels of anxiety. Participants completed a questionnaire and two breathing tasks, with one during a brain imaging session to assess changes in blood oxygenation and flow.

“We found people who have higher levels of anxiety have altered perceptions of their breathing compared to people with lower anxiety – they are actually less sensitive to changes in their breathing, they have reduced ‘insight’ into how well they are able to perceive their body, and they have altered brain activity when they are predicting what will happen to their breathing in the future,” Dr Harrison says.

“We might believe we are very ‘in-tune’ with our bodies, but what we’ve seen is that anxiety can actually reduce our ability to notice changes in our breathing. This is really important, because if we don’t realise when we are breathing faster or harder due to being worried, then we could more easily have further symptoms such as feeling lightheaded – if we don’t realise what is happening in our body, then these symptoms can make us feel even worse and worry us even further.”

While the study does not provide answers about how to effectively treat anxiety, it is a starting point to understand how higher levels of anxiety can influence body perception.

“Even this knowledge might help to make a few things clearer; when we are anxious, we are likely ‘tuning out’ from body symptoms, even though we might not know it.

“These results are just the beginning of our understanding about how the communication between the brain and body can start to break down with anxiety. We hope to use this information to help improve treatments by giving people the tools to perceive their body better and break the negative cycle of anxiety leading to symptoms leading to more anxiety.”

The next step – now running at the University of Otago – is to investigate whether treatments such as exercise or anti-anxiety medications may help people perceive their breathing more accurately, and whether this contributes to reductions in anxiety.

“We know that many types of medicine – particularly Eastern medicine – has used breathing as a tool for improving mental health for centuries. We also know that things like yoga, meditation and exercise can help to calm us and reduce our worries, but we don’t yet know why or how these practices work.

“We would like to see whether the reductions in anxiety are at least in part mediated by improvements in body perceptions, or ‘tuning in’ to our bodies, and whether we can help improve these mental health benefits – both by understanding their mechanisms and creating novel treatment strategies that build on these principles.”

 

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JOURNAL

Neuron

DOI

10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.045 

ARTICLE TITLE

Interoception of breathing and its relationship with anxiety

How staphylococci protect themselves against antibiotics

Study at the University of Bonn clarifies a previously unknown resistance mechanism

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BONN

 

IMAGE: LOOK AT A CULTIVATION PLATE WITH THE RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAIN. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: VOLKER LANNERT/UNIVERSITY OF BONN

The skin bacterium Staphylococcus aureus often develops antibiotic resistance. It can then cause infections that are difficult to treat. Researchers at the University of Bonn have uncovered an ingenious way in which a certain strain of Staphylococcus aureus protects itself against the important antibiotic vancomycin. The results have now been published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.

In the study, the researchers investigated the development of resistance in a Staphylococcus aureus strain that is innocuous to humans. For this purpose, they grew the strain in the laboratory in nutrient media to which they added successively increasing amounts of vancomycin. Staphylococci are rapidly mutating bacteria. The strain studied also lacks a mechanism that normally repairs these genetic changes. This means it acquires new properties particularly quickly, including those associated with greater tolerance to vancomycin. In the presence of the antibiotic, only these mutants survive.

"This gave us a strain within eight weeks that was able to cope with more than a 100-fold increase in the concentration of the antibiotic," explains Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bierbaum from the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at the University Hospital Bonn. The researchers now wanted to find out how the strain, with the designation VC40 manages this.

Molecular protective suit

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that are enclosed in a thin membrane of lipids. This is almost as delicate as a soap bubble and the internal pressure of the staphylococcal cell would burst the membrane. The membrane is therefore surrounded by a cell wall, which encloses the bacterium like an extremely robust protective garment. This wall consists of several layers of carbohydrate chains that are cross-linked by peptides, the peptidoglycan. This creates a stable fabric.

Staphylococci and other bacteria produce the basic building blocks of this fabric within the cell and then transport them out through the membrane. The antibiotic vancomycin traps them there and prevents them from being incorporated into the wall. As a result, the cells die.

"Our strain of bacteria has a much thicker wall than normal staphylococci," Bierbaum says. "The cell wall also contains many molecular chains whose ends are barely crosslinked. These non-crosslinked sites can bind vancomycin." The cell wall thus acts like a kind of sponge that absorbs the antibiotic and prevents it from reaching the membrane. At the same time, the bound vancomycin clogs the pores of this sponge and thereby obstructs the path to the membrane.

Dangerous scissors: the autolysins

However, this strategy comes at a price: "The wall is weakened by being less crosslinked," explains Michael Hort, who is a doctoral student in Bierbaum's research group. "It is therefore more easily destroyed by certain enzymes called autolysins." Autolysins are needed by bacteria during reproduction, for example: They cut the cell wall during cell division and ensure that the cells can separate. Even as the cell grows, the molecular scissors keep opening the seams of the protective suit so that new patches of peptidoglycan can be inserted. Autolysins are therefore very important.

However, they pose a threat to bacteria with weakened cell walls. The researchers were able to show how the staphylococcal strain defends itself against this for one of the most important autolysins: S. aureus VC40 modifies a specific component of the cell walls, the wall teichoic acids. These play only a minor role in normal crosslinking and perform other tasks. The S. aureus VC40 strain binds certain sugar molecules to the teichoic acids. This enables them to inhibit the binding of the autolysin to the cell wall. "We generated a daughter strain of S. aureus VC40 that doesn’t incorporate these sugar molecules," Bierbaum says. "This made it almost 20 times more susceptible to vancomycin."

New insights into resistance development

Staphylococci can be found in many places, including on the skin of most people. They are usually harmless there. However, if they enter wounds or the bloodstream, they can cause severe infections. The so-called MRSA strains (the abbreviation stands for "methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus") are often resistant to several antibiotics and, therefore, are difficult to control.

"Our study shows how mutations can complement each other in such a sophisticated way that the strain develops pronounced resistance as a result," explains Gabriele Bierbaum. "In this way, it increases our understanding of the ways in which staphylococci adapt to their environment through spontaneous genetic changes and escape the effects of antibiotics."

Participating institutions and funding:

In addition to the University of Bonn, the University of Tübingen was also involved in the study. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Publication: Michael Hort, Ute Bertsche, Senada Nozinovic, Alina Dietrich, Anne Sophie Schrötter, Laura Mildenberger, Katharina Axtmann, Anne Berscheid and Gabriele Bierbaum: The role of β-glycosylated wall teichoic acids in the reduction of vancomycin susceptibility in vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus; Microbiology Spectrum, https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/Spectrum.00528-21, DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00528-21

Contact:

Apl. Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bierbaum
Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Parasitologie
Universitätsklinikum Bonn

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JOURNAL

Microbiology Spectrum

DOI

10.1128/Spectrum.00528-21 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

The role of β-glycosylated wall teichoic acids in the reduction of vancomycin susceptibility in vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

20-Oct-2021

Increasing dairy intake reduces falls and fractures among older care home residents

Extra daily milk, yoghurt, and cheese led to a 33% lower risk of all fractures

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

Increasing intake of foods rich in calcium and protein such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese, reduces falls and fractures in older adults living in residential care, finds a randomised controlled trial published by The BMJ today.

This is one of only a few studies to examine whether getting these nutrients from foods (as opposed to supplements) are effective and safe, and the researchers say this approach has “widespread implications as a public health measure for fracture prevention.”

Older adults living in residential care often have low calcium and protein intakes, which can lead to weak bones and an increase in the risk of falls and fractures. It is estimated that older adults in aged care are the source of about 30% of all hip fractures.

It is well known that foods rich in calcium and protein, such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese help prevent bone fragility, but few studies have investigated whether increasing daily intake of these foods is an effective and safe way to reduce fracture risk in older adults.

So researchers based in Australia, the Netherlands and the US set out to examine whether achieving recommended daily intakes of calcium (1,300 mg) and protein (1 g/kg body weight) from food sources would reduce the risk of fragility fractures and falls among older adults in residential care facilities.

The two-year trial involved 60 aged care facilities in Australia housing 7,195 residents (72% women; average age 86 years) replete in vitamin D but with daily calcium and protein intakes below recommended levels.

Thirty intervention facilities were randomised to provide residents with additional milk, yoghurt, and cheese, achieving intakes of 1,142 mg calcium/day and 1.1 g protein/kg body weight/day. The remaining 30 control facilities continued with their usual menu (700 mg/day calcium and 0.9 g protein/kg body weight/day).

Data from 27 intervention facilities and 29 control facilities were analysed and a total of 324 fractures (135 hip fractures), 4,302 falls, and 1,974 deaths occurred during the study period.

The intervention was associated with risk reductions of 33% for all fractures (121 v 203), 46% for hip fractures (42 v 93), and 11% for falls (1,879 v 2,423). There was no group difference in all cause mortality.

The relative risk reduction for fractures was similar to that found in trials using potent drug therapy to increase bone strength in people with osteoporosis. 

A randomised controlled trial is considered the most reliable way to determine whether an intervention actually has the desired effect, but the researchers do point to some limitations. For example, loss of participants limited their ability to examine the possible mechanisms that may contribute to fewer fractures and falls.

Nevertheless, they say, improving calcium and protein intakes by using dairy foods “is a readily accessible intervention that reduces risk of falls and fractures commonly occurring in institutionalised older adults.”

They add: This nutritional intervention “has widespread implications as a public health measure for fracture prevention in the aged care setting and potentially in the wider community.”

[Ends]

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JOURNAL

BMJ

DOI

10.1136/bmj.n2364 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Effect of dietary sources of calcium and protein on hip fractures and falls in older adults in residential care: cluster randomised controlled trial

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

20-Oct-2021

How retirement impacts social support and wellbeing

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY

 

IMAGE: HIGH LEVELS OF SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS ARE LINKED WITH BETTER HEALTH AND WELLBEING. view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE BY WOLFGANG ECKERT FROM PIXABAY

Australian couples moving into retirement tend to maintain their social networks, and many see an improvement in their mental health and wellbeing, new research shows.

High levels of social connectedness are linked with better health and wellbeing, so this is good news for those with strong social ties. However, for those with low levels of support it suggests that policies and programs to increase support in retirement could improve wellbeing.

The World Health Organisation says social isolation and loneliness have a serious impact on older people’s physical and mental health, quality of life and longevity, comparable to other well-established risk factors such as smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.

“For some people social support might decrease when they retire, as they lose work connections or move home, while for others retirement brings more opportunities to strengthen ties or make new friends,” says co-author UTS economist Dr Nathan Kettlewell. 

“We were interested to understand not only whether retirement brought changes to your own level of social support, mental health and wellbeing, but also whether your spouse’s retirement had an impact,” he says.

Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey from 2001-2018, the researchers looked at 1600 partnered individuals who transitioned to retirement.

“We measured social support using survey questions that asked people about whether they have someone they feel they can talk to, or confide in, how many friends or visitors they have, and whether they often feel lonely,” says co-author Dr Jack Lam from the University of Queensland.

“Understanding how retirement impacts social support and wellbeing is important not only for those on the cusp of retirement, but also for government, not-for-profit and community organisations providing mental health and social support services,” he says.

To better understand the cause and effect relationship between retirement and wellbeing, the researchers focused on those who retired because they became eligible for the age pension, rather than due to sickness or job loss.

The study found that most people maintained their pre-retirement level of social support after either they, or their partner, retired.

Women, and those with high social support, were more likely to see an improvement in mental wellbeing when they or their partner retired.

Both men and women saw an increase in ‘life satisfaction’ – a measure of how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings – when they or their partner retired.

“Our research shows that while we don’t see significant changes to social connections, the shifts in mental health and wellbeing can be quite positive,” says Dr Kettlewell.

So, for an insight into what retirement might look like – take a look at your current social connections, and if needed, build your social networks for a happier, healthier future.

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The study: Retirement, social support and mental well being: a couple level analysis is published in the European Journal of Health Economics.

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JOURNAL

The European Journal of Health Economics

DOI

10.1007/s10198-021-01374-1 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Retirement, social support and mental well-being: a couple-level analysis

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Sep-2021

COI STATEMENT

N/A

Study: are casinos making the right bet when it comes to slots?

UNLV researchers discover that a common strategy to increase play time on slot machines simply doesn’t add up

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS

With slot machines producing the bulk of profits in most of the world’s casinos, gaming managers make it their business to keep slot players happy.  So how do they prevent customers who are losing from walking away? 

A common strategy is to lower what’s called the “house edge,” which is the casino’s advantage when looking at the long-term difference between how much was wagered versus how much was paid out. The idea is that if you play a slot machine with a 5% house advantage, for example, you can expect to play for twice as long as a game with a 10% house advantage, right?

Not so, according to a new study from UNLV professors Anthony Lucas and A.K Singh, who found that even when the house advantage was more than doubled, no statistical difference in the number of spins was observed for the individual gambler. 

Using an approach that simulated 100 years of weekly play, the researchers analyzed the outcomes produced by reel slot machines with hidden yet different house edges, under identical wagering rules. The results showed a remarkably similar number of spins on the games, despite big differences in the house edge. Although it is the first study to use this specific approach, it is the seventh study in a series of studies by UNLV researchers confirming this general conclusion.
The bad news for casinos is that conventional thinking on how the house edge affects the slot player’s experience is likely costing them money. 

“If individual players don’t see results from their play that allow them to detect differences in the house edge,” said Lucas, “there is an opportunity for gaming operators to keep a greater portion of the wagers. Even subtle changes in the frequency of big jackpots can make important contributions to the overall slot revenue.” 

Changing Entrenched Casino Practices
So why are casinos leaving money on the table? Though the prospect of increasing casino revenue should spark interest from operators, game makers, regulators, and legislators alike, switching long-standing operating and marketing tactics is a hard sell in the casino business.

“Change is understandably difficult for all of us in this business when you’re up against decades of firmly entrenched explanations of how slot machines work,” said Lucas. “As a result, it’s going to take some time for any new thinking on the subject to gain traction.” 

Lucas says market forces will ultimately jumpstart the process. With the global proliferation of casinos and a new generation of games hitting the market, savvy gamblers are becoming more interested in the nuances of their gaming experience, looking for a better return on their bets. Though change doesn’t come easily, this trend may force some casino operators and game makers to revisit their understanding of how game mechanics affect the individual gambler’s experience.

###

Lucas and Singh’s article “The house edge and play time: Do industry heuristics fairly describe this relationship?” is published in the UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal (2021).
 

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

The house edge and play time: Do industry heuristics fairly describe this relationship?

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021

Vanderbilt astrophysicist leads international workshop to turn plans for a crewed lunar observatory into reality

Meeting Announcement

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Karan Jani, research assistant professor of physics and astronomy, co-chaired the first international workshop focused on gravitational wave detection on the moon. The workshop builds on Jani’s recent studies that make the case for building a crewed, lunar-based observatory. 

“We are at the dawn of a new space age, with the moon at the center of our campaign for the next several years,” Jani said. “This workshop drew a broad consensus that fundamental physics and astronomy have immense potential on the moon.” 

The workshop convened more than 350 leading experts from the fields of GW science, planetary science and lunar exploration to discuss the geophysical properties of the moon and opportunities for this type of observation with key technologies that are already at an advanced stage of development. Participants were in agreement that lunar GW detection could become a realistic space science mission with international cooperation.  

Opportunities for breakthrough science exist through partnerships with other future detectors, like the joint European Space Agency and NASA space mission Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, and with proposed terrestrial GW detectors the Einstein Telescope and the Cosmic Explorer. Discussions highlighted the exciting possibility that a GW detector on the moon could provide a more complete understanding of where gravitational waves come from, and the orbit of the moon around Earth would significantly increase the ability to triangulate the position of those sources.  

“The lunar GW detectors can probe the most important questions about our universe, from the nature of dark energy to the birth of the first stars,” Jani said. “Many of the required technologies are already being developed by space agencies and major private companies. It’s only a matter of time before we have our graduate students taking shifts on the moon!”  

The workshop was well attended, reflecting worldwide interest in GW science and lunar exploration, said Jan Harms, professor at the Gran Sasso Science Institute. “We now need to work hard to seize the opportunities given to us to realize a first lunar GW detector. Turning our moon into a resonant antenna for messages from the universe would be a historical achievement.” 

And officials at high-level funding agencies were attentive, added Stavros Katsanevas, European Gravitational Observatory director, which is “a very good omen for the development of this emerging field. 

“We were all impressed by the quality of the presentations, key elements of which were the interdisciplinarity between GW science and geoscience, the complementarity of the proposed instrumentation guaranteeing the detailed understanding of lunar vibrations.”  

The workshop took place on Oct. 14 and 15 and was hosted by the European Gravitational Observatory near Pisa, Italy. Jani was joined by researchers from EGO and Gran Sasso Science Institute. The workshop was supported by the AHEAD 2020 project, funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 871158. 

Urgent changes needed to global guidelines designed to stop surgical infection

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Wound infections are the most common problem after surgery, particularly in developing countries, but promised innovations to tackle the issue do not work and global guidance needs changing, a new study reveals.

Both World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UK’s National Institute of Health Research guidelines recommend that surgeons use alcoholic chlorhexidine skin preparation and triclosan coated sutures to prevent Surgical Site Infection (SSI).

However, the world’s largest wound infection trial could not demonstrate superiority of these interventions over lower cost alternatives.

Carried out in Benin, Ghana, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, the FALCON trial was funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Publishing their findings today in The Lancet, researchers participating in this study are calling for guidelines recommending these measures, either specifically to Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMIC) or at a general global level, to be revised.

Co-author Mr. Aneel Bhangu, from the University of Birmingham, commented: “Surgical site infection is the world’s most common postoperative complication - a major burden for both patients and health systems. We have delivered the biggest trial of its kind, where we could not demonstrate the superiority of these interventions over cheaper alternatives.

“Our findings are hugely important for a wide range of care providers in LMICs, as following existing WHO and NICE guidelines, which have significant cost implications for organisations which have limited resources.”

Patients who develop SSI experience pain, disability, poor healing with risk of wound breakdown, prolonged recovery times and psychological challenges.

Those patients in LMICs are disproportionately affected by higher rates of SSI compared to those in high-income countries - increasing the risk of catastrophic expenditure, impoverishment, and wider negative community impact.

The NIHR Global Research Health Unit on Global Surgery trial covered 5,788 patients from 54 hospitals in seven countries - a broad and representative range including adults and children undergoing contaminated/dirty surgery, emergency surgery and caesarian section.

Co-author Professor Adesoji Ademuyiwa, from the University of Lagos, commented: “The overall SSI rate was very high at 22% - a preventable complication that is causing unnecessary suffering and burden to patients and systems.

“It is clear that small randomised trials should now be avoided and should be replaced with larger trials that can provide more robust evidence on the incidence of SSI, ultimately leading to more effective measures to help tack this global healthcare challenge.”

For further information, interviews or to request an embargoed copy of the research paper please contact Tony Moran, International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham on +44 (0)782 783 2312 or t.moran@bham.ac.uk. Out-of-hours, please call +44 (0) 7789 921 165.

Notes for editors

• The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.
• ‘Reducing surgical site infections in low and middle income countries: a pragmatic, multicentre, stratified, randomised controlled trial (FALCON)’ - Adesoji O Ademuyiwa and Aneel Bhangu is published in The Lancet.
• Please feel free to include this post-embargo link in online articles: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01548-8/fulltext

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JOURNAL

The Lancet

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Reducing surgical site infections in low and middle income countries: a pragmatic, multicentre, stratified, randomised controlled trial (FALCON)

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

25-Oct-2021

What big teeth you have: Tooth root surface area can determine primate size

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: THE SKULLS OF A GORILLA AND LEMUR WITH THE TEETH "DIGITALLY DISSECTED" IN ORDER TO STUDY THEIR TOOTH ROOT SURFACE AREAS. view more 

CREDIT: CREDIT: DEUTSCH AND HARTSTONE-ROSE.

An often overlooked feature could give scientists new insight into the lives of ancient primate species. Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed formulas that can calculate the body size of a primate based on the root size of its teeth. The formulas could allow researchers to make use of partial and incomplete fossils in order to learn how ancient primates – including human ancestors – interacted with their environment.

Ashley Deutsch, NC State graduate student and first author of a paper describing the research, wanted to know if it was possible to determine what a primate’s diet was without having the actual tooth crowns at hand – by looking instead at the roots.

What we commonly think of when we think of teeth isn’t the whole story – the part that does the chewing is merely the crown. The part that keeps the tooth anchored in the jaw is the root.

“The tooth root transmits the force of the jaws into the food,” says Adam Hartstone-Rose, professor of biological sciences at NC State and paper coauthor. “You can think of the root as the handle of a hammer – the handle size is related to the amount of force you can put into the hammer. So if a hammer has a small handle, it will have a small head to hammer small things. In the same way, a big tooth root can transmit more force to the tooth’s crown to crush more obdurate foods.”

Deutsch and the research team initially set out to determine whether tooth roots could indicate the shape of the tooth’s crown, thus telling them what particular primates preferred to eat. Using computer tomography, Deutsch analyzed and calculated the tooth root surface area – or area of contact where the root fits into the jaw – of 70 primates from 75 species, ranging in size from tiny mouse lemurs to great apes.

“It was a bit like trying to figure out if you have an axe or hammer based on the shape of the handle,” Deutsch says.

Ultimately, she found that the tooth roots only related to diet in a few lineages (for example, lemurs); however, she was able to determine how big the primates were across all lineages.

Deutsch developed a series of formulas based on the relationship between the tooth root surface of a molar or premolar – the teeth located between canines and molars – and primate body mass. The formulas can be used to estimate body mass of primates with more or less specificity, depending upon whether their class is known. The formulas can also explain up to 96% of variation in body mass within the examined primate sample.

But perhaps the most useful application of the equation will be with fossils that are currently of little use to anthropologists and paleontologists.

“As long as the fossil has a bit of root you can use the formulas even if the tooth crowns are missing,” Deutsch says. “Fossils are often maddeningly incomplete, but now those incomplete pieces can be useful, and they could answer questions about our own lineage, like how big our ancient ancestors were.”

Deutsch hopes to continue refining the existing equations and expand the work beyond primates to other mammals, including carnivores.

“Ashley has looked at something that is often preserved but also generally ignored by science and found it might hold answers to one of the most important ecological questions,” Hartstone-Rose says. “Just knowing how big an animal is tells you a lot about how it interacted with the environment. And that could give us a lot of insight into our own ancient history.”

The research appears as the cover article in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology and is supported by the National Science Foundation (grant IOS-15-57125). Former NC State postdoctoral fellow Edwin Dickinson, as well as NC State undergraduates Victoria Whichard and Giulia Lagomarsino, also contributed to the work.

-peake-

Note to editors: An abstract follows.

“Primate Body Mass and Dietary Correlates of Tooth Root Surface Area”

DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24430

Authors: Ashley R. Deutsch, Edwin Dickinson, Victoria A. Whichard, Giulia R. Lagomarsino, Adam Hartstone-Rose, North Carolina State University; Jonathan M. G. Perry, Western Universty of Health Sciences, Oregon; Kornelius Kupczik, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Published: October 26, 2021 in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Abstract:
Objectives: This study aims to examine primate postcanine tooth root surface area (TRSA) in the context of two ecological variables (diet and bite force). We also assess scaling relationships within distinct taxonomic groups and across the order as a whole.
Materials and Methods: Mandibular postcanine TRSA was measured using a three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) method for catarrhine (N = 27), platyrrhine (N = 21) and strepsirrhine (N = 24) taxa; this represents the first sample of strepsirrhines. Two different body size proxies were used: cranial geometric mean (GM) using nine linear measurements, and literature-derived body mass (BM).
Results: TRSA correlated strongly with body size, scaling with positive allometry or isometry across the order as a whole; however, scaling differed significantly between taxa for some teeth. Among Strepsirrhini, molar TRSA relative to GM differed significantly between folivores and pliant-object feeders. Additionally, P4 TRSA relative to BM differentiated folivores from both hard- and pliant-object feeders. Among Cercopithecoidea, P4 TRSA adjusted by GM differed between hard- and pliant-object feeders.
Discussion: Dietary signals in TRSA appear primarily driven by high frequency loading experienced by folivores. Stronger and more frequent dietary signals were observed within Strepsirrhini relative to Haplorhini. This may reflect the constraints of orthognathism within the latter, constraining the adaptability of their postcanine teeth. Finally, because of the strong correlation between TRSA and BM for each tooth locus (mean r2 = 0.82), TRSA can be used to predict BM in fossil primates using provided equations.

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DOI

10.1002/ajpa.24430 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Primate body mass and dietary correlates of tooth root surface area

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-Oct-2021

COI STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.