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Recent evidence has questioned whether the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient (LDG), whereby species richness increases towards the Equator, results in higher rates of speciation in the tropics. Allowing for time heterogeneity in speciation rate estimates for over 60,000 angiosperm species, we found that the LDG does not arise from variation in speciation rates because lineages do not speciate faster in the tropics. These results were consistently retrieved using two other methods to test the association between occupancy of tropical habitats and speciation rates. Our speciation rate estimates were robust to the effects of both undescribed species and missing taxa. Overall, our results show that speciation rates follow an opposite pattern to global variation in species richness. Greater ecological opportunity in the temperate zones, stemming from less saturated communities, higher species turnover or greater environmental change, may ultimately explain these results. © 2020 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by CNRS and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.INTRODUCTION Developing cross-validated multi-biomarker models for the prediction of the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a critical yet unmet clinical challenge. METHODS We applied support vector regression to AD biomarkers derived from cerebrospinal fluid, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), amyloid-PET and fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) to predict rates of cognitive decline. Prediction models were trained in autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD, n = 121) and subsequently cross-validated in sporadic prodromal AD (n = 216). The sample size needed to detect treatment effects when using model-based risk enrichment was estimated. RESULTS A model combining all biomarker modalities and established in ADAD predicted the 4-year rate of decline in global cognition (R2 = 24%) and memory (R2 = 25%) in sporadic AD. Model-based risk-enrichment reduced the sample size required for detecting simulated intervention effects by 50%-75%. DISCUSSION Our independently validated machine-learning model predicted cognitive decline in sporadic prodromal AD and may substantially reduce sample size needed in clinical trials in AD. © 2020 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.Social Media has changed the way that individuals interact with each other - it has brought considerable benefits, yet also some challenges. Social media in anatomy has enabled anatomists all over the world to engage, interact and form new collaborations that otherwise would not have been possible. In a relatively small discipline where individuals may be working as the only anatomist in an institution, having such a virtual community can be important. β-Estradiol research buy Social media is also being used as a means for anatomists to communicate with the current generation of students as well as members of the public. Posting appropriate content is one of the challenges raised by social media use in anatomy. Human cadaveric material is frequently shared on social media and there is divided opinion amongst anatomists on whether or not such content is appropriate. This article explores the uses and challenges of social media use in the field of anatomy and outlines guidelines on how social media can be used by anatomists globally, while maintaining professional and ethical standards. Creating global guidelines has shown to be difficult due to the differences in international law for the use of human tissue and also the irregularities in acquiring informed consent for capturing and sharing cadaveric images. These nuances may explain why cadaveric images are frequently shared on social media. This article proposes that as standard practice, anatomists obtain informed consent from donors before sharing cadaveric material on social media and the image is accompanied by statement stating the same. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND Catheter ablation has rapidly become an integral part of the management of many arrhythmias. AIMS This paper provides a history of clinical cardiac electrophysiology (EP) in New Zealand (NZ) and analysis of recent trends in EP procedures and catheter ablations across NZ, which has not previously been reported. METHODS EP case type and volume were obtained from the EP databases from each of the four public and four private EP centres in NZ from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2018. Procedure rates were expressed as per million population. RESULTS A total of 7695 EP cases were performed, including 5929 (77%) in the public sector. Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation was the most common procedure at 29%. EP procedure rates increased by 21% (to 353 per million in 2018), predominantly due to AF ablation rates increasing by 46%. Ventricular tachycardia ablation rates increased by 41% but only comprised 8% of procedures. There was a striking difference in the growth of EP procedure rates in the public compared to the private sector (4% vs 106%), as well as considerable differences in EP procedure and AF ablation rates across the public EP centres. NZ had lower ablation rates compared to countries with similar healthcare expenditure. CONCLUSION There has been a substantial increase in EP procedure and AF ablation rates in NZ and international trends suggest this growth will continue. However, there is considerable variation in procedure rates and growth trends between EP centres, highlighting inequities in access within the country. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. link2 All rights reserved.Previous research in rodents suggests that the long-term neurobehavioral disturbances induced by chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure could be due to endocannabinoid system (ECS) alterations. Moreover, ECS failure has been proposed to mediate the cognitive impairment and β-amyloid production in Alzheimer disease (AD). Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of adolescent EtOH binge drinking on the cognitive disturbances, hippocampal β-amyloid levels, and in the ECS expression on a transgenic mouse model (APP/PSEN, AZ) of AD. We exposed AZ and wild-type mice to a binge-drinking treatment during adolescence. At 6 and 12 months of age, we evaluated hippocampal-dependent learning and memory β-amyloid concentrations and RNA and protein levels of cannabinoid type-2 receptors (CB2), diacylglycerol lipase-α (DAGLα), and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) in the hippocampus. The results showed that binge-EtOH treatment worsens cognitive function and increases β-amyloid levels in AZ. At 6 months, EtOH heightens CB2 (RNA and protein) and DAGLα (RNA) expression in wild type but not in AZ. On the contrary, EtOH enhances MAGL RNA expression only in AZ. At 12 months, AZ displays increased levels of CB2 (RNA and protein) and DAGLα (protein) compared with control. Similar to what happens at 6 months, EtOH induces an increase in CB2 gene expression in wild type but not in AZ; however, it augments CB2 and DAGLα protein levels in both genotypes. Therefore, we propose that adolescent binge drinking accelerates cognitive deficits associated with aging and AD. It also accelerates hippocampal β-amyloid accumulation in AZ and affects differently the ECS response in wild type and AZ. © 2020 Society for the Study of Addiction.BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with joint damage. Effectiveness of embelin has been established in a wide variety of inflammatory disorders, but its utility as a therapeutic agent is limited by its poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and fast systemic elimination. To apprehend these limitations, we propose to use highly bioavailable embelin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CS-embelin NPs) for the treatment of RA. METHODS The rats were made arthritic using a subcutaneous injection with 0.1 ml complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the footpad of the left hind paw. CS-embelin NPs (25 and 50 mg/kg) was administered from day 15 to day 28 after adjuvant injection. After the experimental period, the animals were sacrificed and various biochemical markers were assessed. RESULTS Arthritic score and paw swelling were significantly reduced after treatment with CS-embelin NPs. Arthritis-induced rats showed a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) with a concomitant reduction of antioxidants in the paw tissue. CS-embelin NPs (25 and 50 mg/kg) reduced MDA and NO levels and restored antioxidant levels to normalcy by mitigating oxidative stress. The arthritic rats exhibited elevated tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) serum concentrations, upregulated TNF- α and IL-6 protein levels and upregulated nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) mRNA expression in paw tissues. Treatment with CS-embelin NPs (25 and 50 mg/kg) significantly reduced serum levels and down-regulated inflammatory markers to normalcy, dose-dependently. CONCLUSION The results suggest that CS-embelin NPs displayed a protective effect against adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats mediated through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. © 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.It is uncontroversial to claim that cognitive science studies many complex phenomena. What is less acknowledged are the contradictions among many traditional commitments of its investigative approaches and the nature of cognitive systems. Consider, for example, methodological tensions that arise due to the fact that like most natural systems, cognitive systems are nonlinear; and yet, traditionally cognitive science has relied on linear statistical data analyses. Cognitive science as complexity science is offered as an interdisciplinary framework for the investigation of cognition that can dissolve such contradictions and tensions. Here, cognition is treated as exhibiting the following four key features emergence, nonlinearity, self-organization, and universality. This framework integrates concepts, methods, and theories from such disciplines as systems theory, nonlinear dynamical systems theory, and synergetics. By adopting this approach, the cognitive sciences benefit from a common set of practices to investigate, explain, and understand cognition in its varied and complex forms. This article is categorized under Computer Science > Neural Networks Psychology > Theory and Methods Philosophy > Foundations of Cognitive Science Neuroscience > Cognition. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND Current guidelines recommend methotrexate (MTX) as a glucocorticoid-sparing agent in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who relapse or suffer glucocorticoid adverse effects; although there is no Level 1 evidence to support this recommendation. AIM To review the effect of MTX in PMR on inflammation and glucocorticoid dose. METHODS Patients with PMR from rheumatology outpatient clinics at two tertiary centres were identified. A structured case note review was conducted for patient characteristics at diagnosis and medications including glucocorticoid and MTX use. RESULTS There were 70 patients, 61% female; mean (range) age of 70 (51-87) years. At time of diagnosis, median (±IQR) ESR was 38.5 (26-74) mm/h and CRP 34.5 (6-74 mg/L) with median initiating prednisolone dose of 15 mg (range 5-60 mg). MTX was prescribed in 22 patients (31%). Mean disease duration at MTX initiation was 2.5 years (1-7 years), with median (range) MTX dose of 10 mg (5-20 mg). link3 At MTX initiation, median (IQR) (±SD) ESR was 33 (13-60 mm/h) and CRP 19 (8-42 mg/L).