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Thomas DB, Harmer AMT, Giovanardi S, Holvast EJ, McGoverin CM, Tenenhaus A. Constructing a multiple‐part morphospace using a multiblock method. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Thomas
- School of Natural Sciences Massey University Auckland New Zealand
| | | | | | - Emma J. Holvast
- School of Natural Sciences Massey University Auckland New Zealand
| | - Cushla M. McGoverin
- Department of Physics University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
- The Dodd‐Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies Auckland New Zealand
| | - Arthur Tenenhaus
- Laboratoire des Signaux et Systèmes CentraleSupelec Université Paris‐Saclay Gif‐sur‐Yvette France
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Tay EJ, Barnsley JE, Thomas DB, Gordon KC. Elucidating the resonance Raman spectra of psittacofulvins. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2021; 262:120146. [PMID: 34274684 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Spectroscopic studies into the identification and characterisation of psittacofulvins were performed using resonance Raman spectroscopy. It was confirmed that red colour regions display Raman band wavenumber shifts with excitation wavelength, whereas yellow regions do not. There was, however, one yellow region (Calyptorhynchus banksii) that did display wavenumber shifting with excitation wavelength. The data in Raman band wavenumber shifting is observed may be interpreted as probing sample volumes in which a number of dyes of differing length are present in which comparative resonance Raman signals select out the dyes to differing extents depending on their absorption profile, structurally changes between the ground and excited state and the Raman scattering of particular modes. The observed spectral features suggest the presence of a psittacofulvin with greater conjugation than has been reported previously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot J Tay
- Chemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Daniel B Thomas
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Keith C Gordon
- Chemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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Thomas DB, Tennyson AJD, Scofield RP, Heath TA, Pett W, Ksepka DT. Ancient crested penguin constrains timing of recruitment into seabird hotspot. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201497. [PMID: 32781949 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
New Zealand is a globally significant hotspot for seabird diversity, but the sparse fossil record for most seabird lineages has impeded our understanding of how and when this hotspot developed. Here, we describe multiple exceptionally well-preserved specimens of a new species of penguin from tightly dated (3.36-3.06 Ma) Pliocene deposits in New Zealand. Bayesian and parsimony analyses place Eudyptes atatu sp. nov. as the sister species to all extant and recently extinct members of the crested penguin genus Eudyptes. The new species has a markedly more slender upper beak and mandible compared with other Eudyptes penguins. Our combined evidence approach reveals that deep bills evolved in both crested and stiff-tailed penguins (Pygoscelis) during the Pliocene. That deep bills arose so late in the greater than 60 million year evolutionary history of penguins suggests that dietary shifts may have occurred as wind-driven Pliocene upwelling radically restructured southern ocean ecosystems. Ancestral area reconstructions using BioGeoBEARS identify New Zealand as the most likely ancestral area for total-group penguins, crown penguins and crested penguins. Our analyses provide a timeframe for recruitment of crown penguins into the New Zealand avifauna, indicating this process began in the late Neogene and was completed via multiple waves of colonizing lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
| | - Alan J D Tennyson
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, PO Box 467, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - R Paul Scofield
- Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch 8001, New Zealand
| | - Tracy A Heath
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Walker Pett
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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Cole TL, Ksepka DT, Mitchell KJ, Tennyson AJD, Thomas DB, Pan H, Zhang G, Rawlence NJ, Wood JR, Bover P, Bouzat JL, Cooper A, Fiddaman SR, Hart T, Miller G, Ryan PG, Shepherd LD, Wilmshurst JM, Waters JM. Mitogenomes Uncover Extinct Penguin Taxa and Reveal Island Formation as a Key Driver of Speciation. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:784-797. [PMID: 30722030 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of islands has been linked to spectacular radiations of diverse organisms. Although penguins spend much of their lives at sea, they rely on land for nesting, and a high proportion of extant species are endemic to geologically young islands. Islands may thus have been crucial to the evolutionary diversification of penguins. We test this hypothesis using a fossil-calibrated phylogeny of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from all extant and recently extinct penguin taxa. Our temporal analysis demonstrates that numerous recent island-endemic penguin taxa diverged following the formation of their islands during the Plio-Pleistocene, including the Galápagos (Galápagos Islands), northern rockhopper (Gough Island), erect-crested (Antipodes Islands), Snares crested (Snares) and royal (Macquarie Island) penguins. Our analysis also reveals two new recently extinct island-endemic penguin taxa from New Zealand's Chatham Islands: Eudyptes warhami sp. nov. and a dwarf subspecies of the yellow-eyed penguin, Megadyptes antipodes richdalei ssp. nov. Eudyptes warhami diverged from the Antipodes Islands erect-crested penguin between 1.1 and 2.5 Ma, shortly after the emergence of the Chatham Islands (∼3 Ma). This new finding of recently evolved taxa on this young archipelago provides further evidence that the radiation of penguins over the last 5 Ma has been linked to island emergence. Mitogenomic analyses of all penguin species, and the discovery of two new extinct penguin taxa, highlight the importance of island formation in the diversification of penguins, as well as the extent to which anthropogenic extinctions have affected island-endemic taxa across the Southern Hemisphere's isolated archipelagos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa L Cole
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | | | - Kieren J Mitchell
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | | | - Daniel B Thomas
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Hailin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Guojie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Jamie R Wood
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | - Pere Bover
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,ARAID Foundation, IUCA-Grupo Aragosaurus, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Juan L Bouzat
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
| | - Alan Cooper
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | | | - Tom Hart
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gary Miller
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.,Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Peter G Ryan
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Lara D Shepherd
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Janet M Wilmshurst
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand.,School of Environment, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M. T. Harmer
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences Massey University Auckland New Zealand
| | - Daniel B. Thomas
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences Massey University Auckland New Zealand
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Barnsley JE, Tay EJ, Gordon KC, Thomas DB. Frequency dispersion reveals chromophore diversity and colour-tuning mechanism in parrot feathers. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:172010. [PMID: 30109049 PMCID: PMC6083696 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Variation in animal coloration is often viewed as the result of chemically distinct pigments conferring different hues. The role of molecular environment on hue tends to be overlooked as analyses are mostly performed on free pigments extracted from the integument. Here we analysed psittacofulvin pigments within parrot feathers to explore whether the in situ organization of pigments may have an effect on hue. Resonance Raman spectra from a red region of a yellow-naped amazon Amazona auropalliata tail feather show frequency dispersion, a phenomenon that is related to the presence of a range of molecular conformations (and multiple chromophores) in the pigment, whereas spectra from a yellow region on the same feather do not show the same evidence for multiple chromophores. Our findings are consistent with non-isomeric psittacofulvin pigments behaving as a single chromophore in yellow feather barbs, which implies that psittacofulvins are dispersed into a structurally disordered mixture in yellow feathers compared with red feathers. Frequency dispersion in red barbs may instead indicate that pigments are structurally organized through molecule-molecule interactions. Major differences in the hues of parrot feathers are thus associated with differences in the organization of pigments within feathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan E. Barnsley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- The Dodd-Walls Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Elliot J. Tay
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- The Dodd-Walls Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Keith C. Gordon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- The Dodd-Walls Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Daniel B. Thomas
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
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Kopp M, Skordis C, Thomas DB, Ilić S. Dark Matter Equation of State through Cosmic History. Phys Rev Lett 2018; 120:221102. [PMID: 29906131 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.221102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cold dark matter is a crucial constituent of the current concordance cosmological model. Having a vanishing equation of state (EOS), its energy density scales with the inverse cosmic volume and is thus uniquely described by a single number, its present abundance. We test the inverse cosmic volume law for dark matter (DM) by allowing its EOS to vary independently in eight redshift bins in the range z=10^{5} and z=0. We use the latest measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation from the Planck satellite and supplement them with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data from the 6dF and SDSS-III BOSS surveys and with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) key project data. We find no evidence for nonzero EOS in any of the eight redshift bins. With Planck data alone, the DM abundance is most strongly constrained around matter-radiation equality ω_{g}^{eq}=0.1193_{-0.0035}^{+0.0036} (95% C.L.), whereas its present-day value is more weakly constrained: ω_{g}^{(0)}=0.16_{-0.10}^{+0.12} (95% C.L.). Adding BAO or HST data does not significantly change the ω_{g}^{eq} constraint, while ω_{g}^{(0)} tightens to 0.160_{-0.065}^{+0.069} (95% C.L.) and 0.124_{-0.067}^{+0.081} (95% C.L.), respectively. Our results constrain for the first time the level of "coldness" required of the DM across various cosmological epochs and show that the DM abundance is strictly positive at all times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kopp
- CEICO, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, Praha 8, Czech Republic
- Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, 1, Panepistimiou Street, 2109 Aglantzia, Cyprus
| | - Constantinos Skordis
- CEICO, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, Praha 8, Czech Republic
- Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, 1, Panepistimiou Street, 2109 Aglantzia, Cyprus
| | - Daniel B Thomas
- Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, 1, Panepistimiou Street, 2109 Aglantzia, Cyprus
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Stéphane Ilić
- CEICO, Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, Praha 8, Czech Republic
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Osbrink WLA, Thomas DB, Goolsby JA, Showler AT, Leal B. Higher Beetle Diversity in Native Vegetation Than in Stands of the Invasive Arundo, Arundo donax L., along the Rio Grande Basin in Texas, USA. J Insect Sci 2018; 18:5036102. [PMID: 29901739 PMCID: PMC6007238 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iey053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Within the cattle fever tick quarantine zone along the Rio Grande, a steady displacement of native vegetation by Arundo donax L. has been occurring for over a century. Arundo rapidly grows to a height of 3-6 m creating a dense wall of vegetation impeding surveillance and interception of stray cattle breaching the cattle fever tick quarantine from Mexico. Additionally, arundo monocultures may decrease the number and diversity of predatory beetles feeding on cattle fever ticks. To compare predatory beetle abundance and diversity within and between arundo and native vegetation, beetles were trapped at 10 locations twice a month for 16 mo (=38,400 trap nights) in the cattle fever tick quarantine zone along the Mexico-American border between Brownsville and Del Rio, TX. In total, 766 beetles were trapped, which included 34 genera and 43 species. Native vegetation provided more beetles, greater species richness, and increased biological diversity. Thus, greater beetle diversity was found in the more complex native vegetation compared with arundo stands. However, because predatory beetle sample numbers were modest, it is unlikely these mostly polyphagous, opportunistic arthropod predators would apply much pressure on tick populations, leading us to conclude that beetle predation would have little effect on tick populations in native vegetation or within stands of arundo.
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Affiliation(s)
- W L A Osbrink
- USDA-ARS-SPA, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, Kerrville, TX
| | - D B Thomas
- USDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX
| | - J A Goolsby
- USDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX
| | - A T Showler
- USDA-ARS-SPA, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, Kerrville, TX
| | - B Leal
- USDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX
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Lewis JB, Milner DC, Lewis AL, Dunaway TM, Egbert KM, Albright SC, Merrell BJ, Monson TD, Broberg DS, Gassman JR, Thomas DB, Arroyo JA, Reynolds PR. Up-Regulation of Claudin-6 in the Distal Lung Impacts Secondhand Smoke-Induced Inflammation. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016; 13:E1018. [PMID: 27763528 PMCID: PMC5086757 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13101018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
It has long been understood that increased epithelial permeability contributes to inflammation observed in many respiratory diseases. Recently, evidence has revealed that environmental exposure to noxious material such as cigarette smoke reduces tight junction barrier integrity, thus enhancing inflammatory conditions. Claudin-6 (Cldn6) is a tetraspanin transmembrane protein found within the tight junctional complex and is implicated in maintaining lung epithelial barriers. To test the hypothesis that increased Cldn6 ameliorates inflammation at the respiratory barrier, we utilized the Tet-On inducible transgenic system to conditionally over-express Clnd6 in the distal lung. Cldn6 transgenic (TG) and control mice were continuously provided doxycycline from postnatal day (PN) 30 until euthanasia date at PN90. A subset of Cldn6 TG and control mice were also subjected to daily secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) via a nose only inhalation system from PN30-90 and compared to room air (RA) controls. Animals were euthanized on PN90 and lungs were harvested for histological and molecular characterization. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was procured for the assessment of inflammatory cells and molecules. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting revealed increased Cldn6 expression in TG vs. control animals and SHS decreased Cldn6 expression regardless of genetic up-regulation. Histological evaluations revealed no adverse pulmonary remodeling via Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining or any qualitative alterations in the abundance of type II pneumocytes or proximal non-ciliated epithelial cells via staining for cell specific propeptide of Surfactant Protein-C (proSP-C) or Club Cell Secretory Protein (CCSP), respectively. Immunoblotting and qRT-PCR confirmed the differential expression of Cldn6 and the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β. As a general theme, inflammation induced by SHS exposure was influenced by the availability of Cldn6. These data reveal captivating information suggesting a role for Cldn6 in lungs exposed to tobacco smoke. Further research is critically necessary in order to fully explain roles for tight junctional components such as Cldn6 and other related molecules in lungs coping with exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Lewis
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Dallin C Milner
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Adam L Lewis
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Todd M Dunaway
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Kaleb M Egbert
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Scott C Albright
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Brigham J Merrell
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Troy D Monson
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Dallin S Broberg
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Jason R Gassman
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Daniel B Thomas
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Juan A Arroyo
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
| | - Paul R Reynolds
- Lung and Placenta Research Laboratory, Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
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Abstract
Detailed anatomical models can be produced with consumer-level 3D scanning and printing systems. 3D replication techniques are significant advances for anatomical education as they allow practitioners to more easily introduce diverse or numerous specimens into classrooms. Here we present a methodology for producing anatomical models in-house, with the chondrocranium cartilage from a spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and the skeleton of a cane toad (Rhinella marina) as case studies. 3D digital replicas were produced using two consumer-level scanners and specimens were 3D-printed with selective laser sintering. The fidelity of the two case study models was determined with respect to key anatomical features. Larger-scale features of the dogfish chondrocranium and frog skeleton were all well-resolved and distinct in the 3D digital models, and many finer-scale features were also well-resolved, but some more subtle features were absent from the digital models (e.g. endolymphatic foramina in chondrocranium). All characters identified in the digital chondrocranium could be identified in the subsequent 3D print; however, three characters in the 3D-printed frog skeleton could not be clearly delimited (palatines, parasphenoid and pubis). Characters that were absent in the digital models or 3D prints had low-relief in the original scanned specimen and represent a minor loss of fidelity. Our method description and case studies show that minimal equipment and training is needed to produce durable skeletal specimens. These technologies support the tailored production of models for specific classes or research aims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jessica D Hiscox
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Blair J Dixon
- School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Johan Potgieter
- School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
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Webb WH, Brunton DH, Aguirre JD, Thomas DB, Valcu M, Dale J. Female Song Occurs in Songbirds with More Elaborate Female Coloration and Reduced Sexual Dichromatism. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Checkoway H, Lundin JI, Costello S, Ray RM, Li W, Eisen EA, Astrakianakis G, Applebaum K, Gao DL, Thomas DB. Reply to Comment on: 'Possible pro-carcinogenic association of endotoxin on lung cancer among Shanghai women textile workers'. Br J Cancer 2015; 112:1840-1. [PMID: 25412237 PMCID: PMC4647246 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2014.584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- H Checkoway
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - J I Lundin
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - S Costello
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - R M Ray
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - W Li
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - E A Eisen
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - G Astrakianakis
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - K Applebaum
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - D L Gao
- Zhong Shan Hospital Cancer Center, Shanghai 2000030, China
| | - D B Thomas
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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Thomas DB, McGraw KJ, Butler MW, Carrano MT, Madden O, James HF. Ancient origins and multiple appearances of carotenoid-pigmented feathers in birds. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:20140806. [PMID: 24966316 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The broad palette of feather colours displayed by birds serves diverse biological functions, including communication and camouflage. Fossil feathers provide evidence that some avian colours, like black and brown melanins, have existed for at least 160 million years (Myr), but no traces of bright carotenoid pigments in ancient feathers have been reported. Insight into the evolutionary history of plumage carotenoids may instead be gained from living species. We visually surveyed modern birds for carotenoid-consistent plumage colours (present in 2956 of 9993 species). We then used high-performance liquid chromatography and Raman spectroscopy to chemically assess the family-level distribution of plumage carotenoids, confirming their presence in 95 of 236 extant bird families (only 36 family-level occurrences had been confirmed previously). Using our data for all modern birds, we modelled the evolutionary history of carotenoid-consistent plumage colours on recent supertrees. Results support multiple independent origins of carotenoid plumage pigmentation in 13 orders, including six orders without previous reports of plumage carotenoids. Based on time calibrations from the supertree, the number of avian families displaying plumage carotenoids increased throughout the Cenozoic, and most plumage carotenoid originations occurred after the Miocene Epoch (23 Myr). The earliest origination of plumage carotenoids was reconstructed within Passeriformes, during the Palaeocene Epoch (66-56 Myr), and not at the base of crown-lineage birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MRC-116, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Suitland, MD 20746, USA Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
| | - Michael W Butler
- Department of Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042-1778, USA
| | - Matthew T Carrano
- Department of Paleobiology, MRC-121, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Odile Madden
- Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Suitland, MD 20746, USA
| | - Helen F James
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MRC-116, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
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Thomas DB, Hauber ME, Hanley D, Waterhouse GIN, Fraser S, Gordon KC. Analysing avian eggshell pigments with Raman spectroscopy. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:2670-4. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.124917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Avian eggshells are variable in appearance, including colouration. Here we demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy can provide accurate diagnostic information about major eggshell constituents, including the pigments biliverdin and protoprophyrin IX. Eggshells pigmented with biliverdin showed a series of pigment-diagnostic Raman peaks under 785 nm excitation. Eggshells pigmented with protoporphyrin IX showed strong emission under 1064 nm and 785 nm excitation, whereas resonance Raman spectra (351 nm excitation) showed a set of protoporphyrin IX informative peaks characterisitic of protoporphyrin IX. As representative examples, we identified biliverdin in the olive green eggshells of elegant crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans) and in the blue eggshells of extinct upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus). This study encourages the wider use of Raman spectroscopy in pigment and colouration research and highlights the value of this technique for non-destructive analyses of museum eggshell specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Thomas
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Daniel Hanley
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, Olomouc 77146, Czech Republic
| | | | - Sara Fraser
- Department of Chemistry, Dodd-Walls Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Keith C. Gordon
- Department of Chemistry, Dodd-Walls Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Thomas DB, Nascimbene PC, Dove CJ, Grimaldi DA, James HF. Seeking carotenoid pigments in amber-preserved fossil feathers. Sci Rep 2014; 4:5226. [PMID: 24909554 PMCID: PMC4048910 DOI: 10.1038/srep05226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Plumage colours bestowed by carotenoid pigments can be important for visual communication and likely have a long evolutionary history within Aves. Discovering plumage carotenoids in fossil feathers could provide insight into the ecology of ancient birds and non-avian dinosaurs. With reference to a modern feather, we sought chemical evidence of carotenoids in six feathers preserved in amber (Miocene to mid-Cretaceous) and in a feather preserved as a compression fossil (Eocene). Evidence of melanin pigmentation and microstructure preservation was evaluated with scanning electron and light microscopies. We observed fine microstructural details including evidence for melanin pigmentation in the amber and compression fossils, but Raman spectral bands did not confirm the presence of carotenoids in them. Carotenoids may have been originally absent from these feathers or the pigments may have degraded during burial; the preservation of microstructure may suggest the former. Significantly, we show that carotenoid plumage pigments can be detected without sample destruction through an amber matrix using confocal Raman spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- 1] Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA [2]
| | - Paul C Nascimbene
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Carla J Dove
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - David A Grimaldi
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Helen F James
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
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Bruni M, Thomas DB, Wands D. Computing general-relativistic effects from Newtonian N-body simulations: Frame dragging in the post-Friedmann approach. Int J Clin Exp Med 2014. [DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.89.044010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Rangel ML, Alghamdi I, Contreras G, Harrington T, Thomas DB, Barisoni L, Andrews D, Wolf M, Asif A, Nayer A. Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome with concurrent thrombotic and hemorrhagic manifestations. Lupus 2013; 22:855-64. [PMID: 23722230 DOI: 10.1177/0961203313491024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a distinct autoimmune prothrombotic disorder due to pathogenic autoantibodies directed against proteins that bind to phospholipids. APS is characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis and their clinical sequelae. Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a rare and often fatal form of APS characterized by disseminated intravascular thrombosis and ischemic injury resulting in multiorgan failure. Rarely, intravascular thrombosis in CAPS is accompanied by hemorrhagic manifestations such as diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Here, we report a 43-year-old woman who presented with anemia, acute gastroenteritis, abnormal liver function tests, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, and a systemic inflammatory response syndrome. The patient developed respiratory failure as a result of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage followed by acute renal failure. Laboratory tests disclosed hematuria, proteinuria, and reduced platelet count. Microbiologic tests were negative. A renal biopsy demonstrated acute thrombotic microangiopathy and extensive interstitial hemorrhage. Serologic tests disclosed antinuclear antibodies and reduced serum complement C4 concentration. Coagulation studies revealed the lupus anticoagulant and autoantibodies against cardiolipin, beta 2-glycoprotein I, and prothrombin. High-dose glucocorticoids and plasma exchange resulted in rapid resolution of pulmonary, renal, and hematological manifestations. This rare case emphasizes that CAPS can present with concurrent thrombotic and hemorrhagic manifestations. Rapid diagnosis and treatment may result in complete recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Rangel
- Division of Nephrology, University of Miami, Clinical Research Building, Suite 825, 1120 NW 14th St., Miami, FL 33136, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Thomas
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology; National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; Washington, DC 20013 USA
| | - Daniel T. Ksepka
- Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences; North Carolina State University; Campus Box 8208 Raleigh NC 27695 USA
- Department of Paleontology; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Raleigh NC 27601 USA
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Thomas DB, McGoverin CM, McGraw KJ, James HF, Madden O. Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins. J R Soc Interface 2013; 10:20121065. [PMID: 23516063 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2012.1065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals extract, synthesize and refine chemicals for colour display, where a range of compounds and structures can produce a diverse colour palette. Feather colours, for example, span the visible spectrum and mostly result from pigments in five chemical classes (carotenoids, melanins, porphyrins, psittacofulvins and metal oxides). However, the pigment that generates the yellow colour of penguin feathers appears to represent a sixth, poorly characterized class of feather pigments. This pigment class, here termed 'spheniscin', is displayed by half of the living penguin genera; the larger and richer colour displays of the pigment are highly attractive. Using Raman and mid-infrared spectroscopies, we analysed yellow feathers from two penguin species (king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus; macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus) to further characterize spheniscin pigments. The Raman spectrum of spheniscin is distinct from spectra of other feather pigments and exhibits 17 distinctive spectral bands between 300 and 1700 cm(-1). Spectral bands from the yellow pigment are assigned to aromatically bound carbon atoms, and to skeletal modes in an aromatic, heterocyclic ring. It has been suggested that the penguin pigment is a pterin compound; Raman spectra from yellow penguin feathers are broadly consistent with previously reported pterin spectra, although we have not matched it to any known compound. Raman spectroscopy can provide a rapid and non-destructive method for surveying the distribution of different classes of feather pigments in the avian family tree, and for correlating the chemistry of spheniscin with compounds analysed elsewhere. We suggest that the sixth class of feather pigments may have evolved in a stem-lineage penguin and endowed modern penguins with a costly plumage trait that appears to be chemically unique among birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA.
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Chinsamy A, Tunoǧlu C, Thomas DB. Dental microstructure and geochemistry of Mosasaurus hoffmanni (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Turkey. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.2113/gssgfbull.183.2.85] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Mosasaurus hoffmanni from Devrekani, Turkey is among the geologically youngest of the ancient aquatic predators. In addition, M. hoffmanni is the only Mesozoic vertebrate reported from Turkey, and has proven useful in the understanding of paleogeographic segregation within Mosasauridae. Here we provide an analysis of the histology and geochemistry of a functional maxillary tooth of this Turkish mosasaur. Dental histology included descriptions of lines of von Ebner and contour lines of Owen in dentine, as well as microstructural details pertaining to the enamel structure. Considering the spacing of the lines of von Ebner, the odontoblast deposition of the dentine (at the level of sectioning of the crown) was estimated to have taken approximately 511 days. A replacement tooth was fortuitously discovered upon sectioning the functional tooth, and given the thickness of the dentine visible, it is estimated that it took 233 days to deposit the centripetal layer of dentine. Energy dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry, fusion disc x-ray fluorescence and Sr isotope measurements suggested that the tooth had undergone heterogeneous diagenetic alteration. Despite signs of alteration, the anatomy and chemistry of the M. hoffmanni teeth provided significant paleobiological and paleo-environmental insight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cemal Tunoǧlu
- Hacettepe University, Department of Geological Engineering, Beytepe-Ankara 06532, Turkey.
| | - Daniel B. Thomas
- University of Cape Town, Zoology Department, Private Bag X3, Rhodes Gift, 7707, South Africa.
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Chinsamy A, Thomas DB, Tumarkin-Deratzian AR, Fiorillo AR. Hadrosaurs Were Perennial Polar Residents. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:610-4. [PMID: 22344791 DOI: 10.1002/ar.22428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Revised: 12/02/2011] [Accepted: 12/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anusuya Chinsamy
- Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa.
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Abstract
An HIV-infected asymptomatic woman developed acute kidney injury six weeks after initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). A renal biopsy revealed both renal-limited sarcoidosis and HIV nephropathy. The acute renal injury reversed with glucocorticoid therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Fernandez
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - D B Thomas
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - I W Reiser
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - S Spitalewitz
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
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Abstract
Insulation and vascular heat-retention mechanisms allow penguins to forage for a prolonged time in water that is much cooler than core body temperature. Wing-based heat retention involves a plexus of humeral arteries and veins, which redirect heat to the body core rather than to the wing periphery. The humeral arterial plexus is described here for Eudyptes and Megadyptes, the only extant penguin genera for which wing vascular anatomy had not previously been reported. The erect-crested (Eudyptes sclateri) and yellow-eyed (Megadyptes antipodes) penguins both have a plexus of three humeral arteries on the ventral surface of the humerus. The wing vascular system shows little variation between erect-crested and yellow-eyed penguins, and is generally conserved across the six extant genera of penguins, with the exception of the humeral arterial plexus. The number of humeral arteries within the plexus demonstrates substantial variation and correlates well with wing surface area. Little penguins (Eudyptula minor) have two humeral arteries and a wing surface area of ∼ 75 cm(2) , whereas emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) have up to 15 humeral arteries and a wing surface area of ∼ 203 cm(2) . Further, the number of humeral arteries has a stronger correlation with wing surface area than with sea water temperature. We propose that thermoregulation has placed the humeral arterial plexus under a strong selection pressure, driving penguins with larger wing surface areas to compensate for heat loss by developing additional humeral arteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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Abstract
Africa hosts a single breeding species of penguin today, yet the fossil record indicates that a diverse array of now-extinct taxa once inhabited southern African coastlines. Here, we show that the African penguin fauna had a complex history involving multiple dispersals and extinctions. Phylogenetic analyses and biogeographic reconstructions incorporating new fossil material indicate that, contrary to previous hypotheses, the four Early Pliocene African penguin species do not represent an endemic radiation or direct ancestors of the living Spheniscus demersus (blackfooted penguin). A minimum of three dispersals to Africa, probably assisted by the eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar and South Atlantic currents, occurred during the Late Cenozoic. As regional sea-level fall eliminated islands and reduced offshore breeding areas during the Pliocene, all but one penguin lineage ended in extinction, resulting in today's depleted fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T Ksepka
- Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Thomas
- Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rhodes Gift 7707, Cape Town, South Africa
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Abstract
Penguins (Sphenisciformes) inhabit some of the most extreme environments on Earth. The 60+ Myr fossil record of penguins spans an interval that witnessed dramatic shifts in Cenozoic ocean temperatures and currents, indicating a long interplay between penguin evolution and environmental change. Perhaps the most celebrated example is the successful Late Cenozoic invasion of glacial environments by crown clade penguins. A major adaptation that allows penguins to forage in cold water is the humeral arterial plexus, a vascular counter-current heat exchanger (CCHE) that limits heat loss through the flipper. Fossil evidence reveals that the humeral plexus arose at least 49 Ma during a 'Greenhouse Earth' interval. The evolution of the CCHE is therefore unrelated to global cooling or development of polar ice sheets, but probably represents an adaptation to foraging in subsurface waters at temperate latitudes. As global climate cooled, the CCHE was key to invasion of thermally more demanding environments associated with Antarctic ice sheets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.
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Checkoway H, Ray RM, Lundin JI, Astrakianakis G, Seixas NS, Camp JE, Wernli KJ, Fitzgibbons ED, Li W, Feng Z, Gao DL, Thomas DB. Lung cancer and occupational exposures other than cotton dust and endotoxin among women textile workers in Shanghai, China. Occup Environ Med 2010; 68:425-9. [PMID: 21131604 DOI: 10.1136/oem.2010.059519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Numerous epidemiological studies of lung cancer among textile workers worldwide consistently indicate reduced risks related to cotton dust exposure, presumably due to endotoxin contamination. Our objective was to investigate associations with other exposures potentially related to lung cancer, including wool and synthetic fibre dusts, formaldehyde, silica, dyes and metals, that have only been studied to a limited extent in the textile industry. METHODS We conducted a case-cohort study nested within a cohort of 267,400 women textile workers in Shanghai, China. We compared work assignments and exposure histories of 628 incident lung cancer cases, diagnosed during 1989-1998, with those of a reference subcohort of 3188 workers. We reconstructed exposures with a job-exposure matrix developed specifically for textile factories. Cox proportional hazards modelling was applied to estimate age/smoking-adjusted relative risks (hazard ratios) and risk gradients associated with job assignments and specific agents other than cotton dust and endotoxin. RESULTS No associations were observed for lung cancer with wool, silk or synthetic fibre dusts, or with most other agents. However, increased risks, although statistically imprecise, were noted for ≥ 10 years' exposures to silica (adjusted HR 3.5, 95% CI 1.0 to 13) and ≥ 10 years' exposures to formaldehyde (adjusted HR 2.1, 95% CI 0.4 to 11). CONCLUSIONS Exposures to silica and formaldehyde, although not widespread among the cohort, may have increased lung cancer risk. Silica is an established human lung carcinogen, whereas there is only weak prior evidence supporting an association with formaldehyde. Both exposures warrant consideration as potential lung carcinogens in textile manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Checkoway
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195-7234, USA.
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Thomas DB, Contaldi CR, Magueijo J. Rotation of galaxies as a signature of cosmic strings in weak lensing surveys. Phys Rev Lett 2009; 103:181301. [PMID: 19905797 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.103.181301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2009] [Revised: 10/06/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Vector perturbations sourced by topological defects can generate rotations in the lensing of background galaxies. This is a potential smoking gun for the existence of defects since rotation generates a curl-like component in the weak lensing signal which is not generated by standard density perturbations at linear order. This rotation signal is calculated as generated by cosmic strings. Future large scale weak lensing surveys should be able to detect this signal even for string tensions an order of magnitude lower than current constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Thomas
- Theoretical Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London
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Wong EY, Ray RM, Gao DL, Wernli KJ, Li W, Fitzgibbons ED, Camp JE, Astrakianakis G, Heagerty PJ, De Roos AJ, Holt VL, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. Dust and chemical exposures, and miscarriage risk among women textile workers in Shanghai, China. Occup Environ Med 2008; 66:161-8. [PMID: 18805889 DOI: 10.1136/oem.2008.039065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION To investigate possible associations between miscarriage and occupational exposures in the Shanghai textile industry. METHODS A retrospective cohort study of miscarriages among 1752 women in the Shanghai textile industry was conducted. Reproductive history was self-reported by women and occupational work histories were collected from factory personnel records. Occupational exposures were assigned by linking work history information to an industry-specific job-exposure matrix informed by factory-specific textile process information and industrial hygiene assessments. Estimates of cotton dust and endotoxin exposure were also assigned. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI were estimated by multivariate logistic regression, with adjustment for age at pregnancy, educational level, smoking status of the woman and her spouse, use of alcohol, and woman's year of birth. RESULTS An elevation in risk of a spontaneously aborted first pregnancy was associated with exposure to synthetic fibres (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.00) and mixed synthetic and natural fibres (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.30 to 8.42). No increased risks were observed for women working with solvents, nor were significant associations observed with quantitative cotton dust or endotoxin exposures. Associations were robust and similar when all pregnancies in a woman's reproductive history were considered. CONCLUSIONS Occupational exposure to synthetic fibres may cause miscarriages, and this possibility should be the subject of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Y Wong
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7234, USA
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Reutter JC, Hoang M, Vollmer RT, Groben PA, Thomas DB, Selim MA. The Role of Ki-67 in Predicting Prognosis of Malignant Melanoma of the Vulva. J Cutan Pathol 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0303-6987.2005.320gc.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
Penguins are generally smaller than the predicted minimum body size for marine endotherms. Anatomical observations of the little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) suggest that extant penguins actively defeat the lower size threshold using regional heterothermy. The wing arteries in the little blue penguin form a humeral plexus, a series of three parallel arteries (including the marginal artery) that stem from the axillary artery, replacing a single brachial artery. Each artery of the plexus is associated with at least two veins to form a counter current heat-retention system. The humeral plexus thus restricts heat from entering distal areas of the wing and dissipating into seawater, ultimately reducing the bulk mass required for heat production and insulation. Humeral plexi are confirmed as a synapomorphic character of the Spheniscinae, with the humeral plexus of E. minor most similar to that of the African penguin Spheniscus demersus. The humeral plexus represents a loophole in body size minima of marine endotherms and offers insight into the ecology of living penguins.
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Li W, Ray RM, Gao DL, Fitzgibbons ED, Seixas NS, Camp JE, Wernli KJ, Astrakianakis G, Feng Z, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. Occupational risk factors for pancreatic cancer among female textile workers in Shanghai, China. Occup Environ Med 2006; 63:788-93. [PMID: 16847032 PMCID: PMC2078009 DOI: 10.1136/oem.2005.026229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate whether occupational exposures to dusts and chemicals in the Shanghai textile industry are associated with risk of pancreatic cancer. METHODS A case cohort study nested in a cohort of 267,400 female textile workers in Shanghai, China was conducted among 180 incident pancreatic cancer cases and an age stratified randomly selected comparison subcohort (n = 3188). A complete occupational history of work in the textile industry was obtained for each woman, and was linked to a job exposure matrix developed for the textile industry to estimate exposures to specific dusts and chemicals. Cumulative exposures to cotton dust and endotoxin were reconstructed from historical and contemporaneous measurements. RESULTS After adjusting for smoking status, a trend of decreasing risk of pancreatic cancer was observed for increasing cumulative exposures to cotton dust and endotoxin with a lag of 20 years. The hazard ratios for women cumulatively exposed to >143.4 mg/m3 x years of cotton dust and >3530.6 EU/m3 x years of endotoxin were 0.6 (95% CI 0.3 to 0.9) and 0.5 (95% CI 0.3 to 0.9), respectively, compared to unexposed women. There was little evidence that exposures to other textile dusts and chemicals were associated with risk of pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS Occupational exposure to cotton dust and endotoxin in the textile industry may have reduced risks of pancreatic cancer in this cohort. These associations should be replicated by others before making a firm conclusion of their possible effects on pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Li
- Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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Thomas DB, Franceschini N, Hogan SL, Ten Holder S, Jennette CE, Falk RJ, Jennette JC. Clinical and pathologic characteristics of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis pathologic variants. Kidney Int 2006; 69:920-6. [PMID: 16518352 DOI: 10.1038/sj.ki.5000160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Histologic variants of idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) may have prognostic value. A recent working classification system has distinguished five FSGS variants. We evaluated a cohort of adult patients with biopsy-proven FSGS diagnosed between March 1982 and July 2001 to determine if subtypes were associated with renal outcome. Renal biopsies were reviewed by two pathologists. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from charts. Outcomes were partial and complete remission of the nephrotic syndrome, and renal failure. The frequency of FSGS variants was: 3% cellular (N=6), 11% collapsing (N=22), 17% tip lesion (N=34), 26% perihilar (N=52), and 42% not otherwise specified (NOS) (N=83). Collapsing FSGS affected younger and more often black patients. Black race was uncommon in tip variant. Collapsing and tip variants had higher proteinuria and lower serum albumin than perihilar and NOS variants. Better renal function and less severe tubulointerstitial injury were observed in patients with tip variant. These patients were more likely to receive steroids and more often achieved complete remission (50%). After a median follow-up of 1.8 years, 23% of patients were on dialysis and 28% had renal failure. Collapsing FSGS had worse 1-year (74%) and 3-year (33%) renal survival compared to other variants (overall cohort renal survival at 1 and 3 years: 86 and 67%). Different histologic variants of FSGS have substantial differences in clinical features at the time of biopsy diagnosis and substantial differences in renal outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D B Thomas
- UNC Nephropathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, 409 Brinkhous-Bullitt Building, CB #7525, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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De Roos AJ, Ray RM, Gao DL, Wernli KJ, Fitzgibbons ED, Ziding F, Astrakianakis G, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. Colorectal cancer incidence among female textile workers in Shanghai, China: a case-cohort analysis of occupational exposures. Cancer Causes Control 2006; 16:1177-88. [PMID: 16215868 DOI: 10.1007/s10552-005-0398-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2004] [Accepted: 06/15/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested increased risks of colorectal cancers among textile industry workers, potentially related to synthetic fibers. To investigate risks of colon and rectum cancers in relation to these and other textile industry exposures, we conducted a case-cohort study nested within a cohort study of female employees from the Shanghai Textile Industry Bureau (STIB). Cox proportional hazard regression modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for colon and rectum cancers associated with duration of employment (e.g., 0, >0 to <10, 10 to <20 years, > or =20 years) in various jobs classified according to process type and exposures to specific agents. Our findings indicate that certain long term exposures may pose increased risk of colorectal cancers, especially dyes and dye intermediates with colon cancer (> or =20 years exposure versus never, HR=3.9; 95% CI: 1.4-10.6), and maintenance occupation (HR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.0-5.7) and metals exposure (HR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.1-3.6) with rectum cancer. A decreased risk of rectum cancer was associated with exposure to natural fibers such as cotton (HR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5-0.9), and a trend of decreasing rectum cancer incidence was observed by category of cumulative quantitative cotton dust or endotoxin exposures, when exposures were lagged by 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J De Roos
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA.
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Li W, Ray RM, Gao DL, Fitzgibbons ED, Seixas NS, Camp JE, Wernli KJ, Astrakianakis G, Feng Z, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. Occupational risk factors for nasopharyngeal cancer among female textile workers in Shanghai, China. Occup Environ Med 2006; 63:39-44. [PMID: 16361404 PMCID: PMC2078032 DOI: 10.1136/oem.2005.021709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2005] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To investigate whether occupational exposure to dusts and chemicals in the Chinese textile industry are associated with risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. METHODS Sixty seven nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases identified during 1989-98 and a random sample (n = 3188) of women were included in a case cohort study nested in a cohort of 267,400 women textile workers in Shanghai, China. A complete occupational history of work in the textile industry was obtained for each woman. A job exposure matrix developed by experienced industrial hygienists was used to assess exposures to specific dusts and chemicals. RESULTS Risk of NPC is associated with cumulative exposure to cotton dust. The hazard ratio for women cumulatively exposed to >143.4 mg/m3 x years of cotton dust was 3.6 (95% CI 1.8 to 7.2) compared with unexposed women. Trends of increasing risk were also found with increasing duration of exposure to acids and caustics (p = 0.05), and with years worked in dyeing processes (p = 0.06). Women who worked at least 10 years in dyeing processes had a 3.6-fold excess risk of NPC (95% CI 1.0 to 12.1). CONCLUSIONS Occupational exposure to cotton dust, acids, and caustics, and work in dyeing and printing jobs in the textile industry may have increased risk of NPC in this cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Li
- Program in Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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Wong EY, Ray R, Gao DL, Wernli KJ, Li W, Fitzgibbons ED, Feng Z, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. Reproductive history, occupational exposures, and thyroid cancer risk among women textile workers in Shanghai, China. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2005; 79:251-8. [PMID: 16220287 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-005-0036-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2005] [Accepted: 09/05/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Thyroid cancer risk has been previously associated with increased age at first pregnancy and history of miscarriage. Occupational risk factors for thyroid cancer, with the exception of radioactive iodine, have not been well investigated. We conducted a case-cohort study nested in a cohort of 267,400 female textile workers in Shanghai, China, who had been followed for cancer incidence during 1989-1998. METHODS The analysis included 130 incident thyroid cases and 3,187 subcohort non-cases. Reproductive history was determined by questionnaire at baseline. Historical exposures were reconstructed from work history and information on factory processes and exposures. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for reproductive factors and occupational exposures. RESULTS Associations were observed between thyroid cancer and employment in jobs with 10 or more years of benzene exposure (HR 6.43, 95% CI: 1.08, 38) and formaldehyde exposure (HR 8.33, 95% CI: 1.16, 60). Administration workers also had an increased risk (HR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.25). No associations between examined reproductive factors and thyroid cancer were observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS Despite statistically imprecise risk estimates, the findings suggest potential associations with some occupational chemical exposures in this cohort of textile workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Y Wong
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Chang CK, Astrakianakis G, Thomas DB, Seixas NS, Ray RM, Gao DL, Wernli KJ, Fitzgibbons ED, Checkoway H. 324: Gallbladder Cancer Risk and Occupational Exposures Among Shanghai Female Textile Workers – A Case-Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1093/aje/161.supplement_1.s81c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- C-K Chang
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | | | - D B Thomas
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - N S Seixas
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - R M Ray
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Dao Li Gao
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - K J Wernli
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | | | - H Checkoway
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
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Astrakianakis G, Seixas N, Camp J, Ray R, Gao DL, Wernli K, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. 155: Reduced Lung Cancer Risk Associated with Cotton Dust Exposure in Women Textile Workers in Shanghai, China. Am J Epidemiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1093/aje/161.supplement_1.s39b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - N Seixas
- University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105
| | - J Camp
- University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105
| | - R Ray
- University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105
| | - D L Gao
- University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105
| | - K Wernli
- University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105
| | - D B Thomas
- University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105
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Wernli KJ, Ray RM, Gao DL, Seixas N, Roos AD, Thomas DB, Checkoway H. 338-S: Occupational Risk Factors for Endometrial and Ovarian Cancers Among Textile Workers in Shanghai, China. Am J Epidemiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1093/aje/161.supplement_1.s85a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- K J Wernli
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
| | - R M Ray
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
| | - D L Gao
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
| | - N Seixas
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
| | - A de Roos
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
| | - D B Thomas
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
| | - H Checkoway
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 98109
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Rosenblatt KA, Gao DL, Ray RM, Nelson ZC, Thomas DB. Contraceptive methods and induced abortions and their association with the risk of colon cancer in Shanghai, China. Eur J Cancer 2004; 40:590-3. [PMID: 14962728 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2003.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2002] [Revised: 08/20/2003] [Accepted: 09/19/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
267400 female textile workers in Shanghai, who were administered a questionnaire at enrollment into a randomised trial of breast self-examination between October 1989 and October 1991, were followed up until the middle of 2000. Based on the 655 women who developed colon cancer, rate ratios (RRs) were estimated and trends in risk assessed using Cox Proportional Hazards Models. Risk was increased in women who used oral contraceptives for over 3 years (RR=1.56, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.01-2.40). A possible increase in risk was also observed in women who received progestational injections during pregnancy (RR=1.24, 95% CI 0.95-1.62), but not in relation to the use of injectable contraceptives. A possible reduction in risk was associated with tubal ligation (RR=0.86, 95% CI 0.71-1.03) and ever having had an induced abortion (RR=0.84, 95% CI 0.71-1.00). No trends in risk were observed in relation to the duration of hormonal contraceptive use or the number of induced abortions. Additional studies of the possible roles contraceptives may play in the aetiology of colon cancer in women at low risk of this disease are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Rosenblatt
- Department of Community Health, 120 Huff Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 S. Fourth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
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Hamajima N, Hirose K, Tajima K, Rohan T, Calle EE, Heath CW, Coates RJ, Liff JM, Talamini R, Chantarakul N, Koetsawang S, Rachawat D, Morabia A, Schuman L, Stewart W, Szklo M, Bain C, Schofield F, Siskind V, Band P, Coldman AJ, Gallagher RP, Hislop TG, Yang P, Kolonel LM, Nomura AMY, Hu J, Johnson KC, Mao Y, De Sanjosé S, Lee N, Marchbanks P, Ory HW, Peterson HB, Wilson HG, Wingo PA, Ebeling K, Kunde D, Nishan P, Hopper JL, Colditz G, Gajalanski V, Martin N, Pardthaisong T, Silpisornkosol S, Theetranont C, Boosiri B, Chutivongse S, Jimakorn P, Virutamasen P, Wongsrichanalai C, Ewertz M, Adami HO, Bergkvist L, Magnusson C, Persson I, Chang-Claude J, Paul C, Skegg DCG, Spears GFS, Boyle P, Evstifeeva T, Daling JR, Hutchinson WB, Malone K, Noonan EA, Stanford JL, Thomas DB, Weiss NS, White E, Andrieu N, Brêmond A, Clavel F, Gairard B, Lansac J, Piana L, Renaud R, Izquierdo A, Viladiu P, Cuevas HR, Ontiveros P, Palet A, Salazar SB, Aristizabel N, Cuadros A, Tryggvadottir L, Tulinius H, Bachelot A, Lê MG, Peto J, Franceschi S, Lubin F, Modan B, Ron E, Wax Y, Friedman GD, Hiatt RA, Levi F, Bishop T, Kosmelj K, Primic-Zakelj M, Ravnihar B, Stare J, Beeson WL, Fraser G, Bullbrook RD, Cuzick J, Duffy SW, Fentiman IS, Hayward JL, Wang DY, McMichael AJ, McPherson K, Hanson RL, Leske MC, Mahoney MC, Nasca PC, Varma AO, Weinstein AL, Moller TR, Olsson H, Ranstam J, Goldbohm RA, van den Brandt PA, Apelo RA, Baens J, de la Cruz JR, Javier B, Lacaya LB, Ngelangel CA, La Vecchia C, Negri E, Marubini E, Ferraroni M, Gerber M, Richardson S, Segala C, Gatei D, Kenya P, Kungu A, Mati JG, Brinton LA, Hoover R, Schairer C, Spirtas R, Lee HP, Rookus MA, van Leeuwen FE, Schoenberg JA, McCredie M, Gammon MD, Clarke EA, Jones L, Neil A, Vessey M, Yeates D, Appleby P, Banks E, Beral V, Bull D, Crossley B, Goodill A, Green J, Hermon C, Key T, Langston N, Lewis C, Reeves G, Collins R, Doll R, Peto R, Mabuchi K, Preston D, Hannaford P, Kay C, Rosero-Bixby L, Gao YT, Jin F, Yuan JM, Wei HY, Yun T, Zhiheng C, Berry G, Cooper Booth J, Jelihovsky T, MacLennan R, Shearman R, Wang QS, Baines CJ, Miller AB, Wall C, Lund E, Stalsberg H, Shu XO, Zheng W, Katsouyanni K, Trichopoulou A, Trichopoulos D, Dabancens A, Martinez L, Molina R, Salas O, Alexander FE, Anderson K, Folsom AR, Hulka BS, Bernstein L, Enger S, Haile RW, Paganini-Hill A, Pike MC, Ross RK, Ursin G, Yu MC, Longnecker MP, Newcomb P, Bergkvist L, Kalache A, Farley TMM, Holck S, Meirik O. Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer--collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58,515 women with breast cancer and 95,067 women without the disease. Br J Cancer 2002; 87:1234-45. [PMID: 12439712 PMCID: PMC2562507 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 675] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2002] [Revised: 08/08/2002] [Accepted: 08/23/2002] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol and tobacco consumption are closely correlated and published results on their association with breast cancer have not always allowed adequately for confounding between these exposures. Over 80% of the relevant information worldwide on alcohol and tobacco consumption and breast cancer were collated, checked and analysed centrally. Analyses included 58,515 women with invasive breast cancer and 95,067 controls from 53 studies. Relative risks of breast cancer were estimated, after stratifying by study, age, parity and, where appropriate, women's age when their first child was born and consumption of alcohol and tobacco. The average consumption of alcohol reported by controls from developed countries was 6.0 g per day, i.e. about half a unit/drink of alcohol per day, and was greater in ever-smokers than never-smokers, (8.4 g per day and 5.0 g per day, respectively). Compared with women who reported drinking no alcohol, the relative risk of breast cancer was 1.32 (1.19-1.45, P<0.00001) for an intake of 35-44 g per day alcohol, and 1.46 (1.33-1.61, P<0.00001) for >/=45 g per day alcohol. The relative risk of breast cancer increased by 7.1% (95% CI 5.5-8.7%; P<0.00001) for each additional 10 g per day intake of alcohol, i.e. for each extra unit or drink of alcohol consumed on a daily basis. This increase was the same in ever-smokers and never-smokers (7.1% per 10 g per day, P<0.00001, in each group). By contrast, the relationship between smoking and breast cancer was substantially confounded by the effect of alcohol. When analyses were restricted to 22 255 women with breast cancer and 40 832 controls who reported drinking no alcohol, smoking was not associated with breast cancer (compared to never-smokers, relative risk for ever-smokers=1.03, 95% CI 0.98-1.07, and for current smokers=0.99, 0.92-1.05). The results for alcohol and for tobacco did not vary substantially across studies, study designs, or according to 15 personal characteristics of the women; nor were the findings materially confounded by any of these factors. If the observed relationship for alcohol is causal, these results suggest that about 4% of the breast cancers in developed countries are attributable to alcohol. In developing countries, where alcohol consumption among controls averaged only 0.4 g per day, alcohol would have a negligible effect on the incidence of breast cancer. In conclusion, smoking has little or no independent effect on the risk of developing breast cancer; the effect of alcohol on breast cancer needs to be interpreted in the context of its beneficial effects, in moderation, on cardiovascular disease and its harmful effects on cirrhosis and cancers of the mouth, larynx, oesophagus and liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hamajima
- Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit, Gibson Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HE, UK
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Ye Z, Gao DL, Qin Q, Ray RM, Thomas DB. Breast cancer in relation to induced abortions in a cohort of Chinese women. Br J Cancer 2002; 87:977-81. [PMID: 12434288 PMCID: PMC2364330 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2002] [Revised: 08/28/2002] [Accepted: 08/30/2002] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The possible influence of induced abortion on breast cancer risk was assessed in a cohort of 267 040 women enrolled in a randomised trial of breast self-examination in Shanghai, China. Based on answers to a baseline questionnaire, subsequent breast cancer risk was not significantly associated with ever having an induced abortion. After adjustment for potential confounders, the relative risk estimate was 1.06 (95% C.I.: 0.91, 1.25), and there was no trend in risk with number of abortions. Analysis of data from more detailed interviews of 652 cases and 694 controls from the cohort yielded similar results. There was also no overall increase in risk in women with induced abortion after first birth. Few women had undergone an abortion after 13 weeks gestation or before their first child. Although increases in risk were observed in such women, they were not statistically significant and could have been due to recall bias. Abortions as they have been performed in China are not an important cause of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Ye
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, PO Box 19024,MP 474, Seattle, Washington, WA 98109-1024, USA
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45
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Jennette
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, USA
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McNeil AJ, Hinkle RJ, Rouse EA, Thomas QA, Thomas DB. Vinyl carbocations: solution studies of alkenyl(aryl)iodonium triflate fragmentations. J Org Chem 2001; 66:5556-65. [PMID: 11485483 DOI: 10.1021/jo015746+] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Generation of vinyl cations is facile by fragmentation of alkenyl(aryl)iodonium trifluoromethanesulfonates. Kinetics and electronic effects were probed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy in CDCl(3). Products of fragmentation include six enol triflate isomers in addition to iodoarenes. The enol triflates arise from direct reaction of a triflate anion with the starting iodonium salts as well as triflate reaction with rearranged secondary cations derived from those salts. G2 calculations of the theoretical isodesmic hydride-transfer reaction between secondary vinyl cation 7 and primary vinyl cation 6 reveal that cation 6 is 17.8 kcal/mol higher in energy. Activation parameters for fragmentation of (Z)-2-ethyl-1-hexenyl(3,5-bis-trifluoromethylphenyl)iodonium triflate, 17e, were calculated using the Arrhenius equation: E(a) = 26.8 kcal/mol, Delta H(++) = 26.2 kcal/mol, and Delta S(++) = 11.9 cal/mol x K. Added triflate increases the rate of fragmentation slightly, and it is likely that for most beta,beta-dialkyl- substituted vinylic iodonium triflates enol triflate fragmentation products are derived from three competing mechanisms: (a) vinylic S(N)()2 substitution; (b) ligand coupling (LC); and (c) concerted aryliodonio departure and 1,2-alkyl shift leading to secondary rather than primary vinyl cations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J McNeil
- Department of Chemistry, The College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8795, USA
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Thomas DB. Is the spleen a preferential site of blood cell production in the human fetus? Ital J Anat Embryol 2001; 100 Suppl 1:245-51. [PMID: 11322298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Information about the status of the spleen as a preferential site of blood cell production in the human fetus is relevant to generalizations about the ontogeny of haematopoietic microenvironments and to speculations about the pathogenesis of myeloid metaplasia. Such information has been accumulated in a comparison of populations of blood cell precursors derived from the blood, the spleens and the livers of human fetuses during the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh months of gestation. During this period, the spleen does not contain populations of erythroblasts or granulocyte precursors that could not have been derived from the blood. It is inferred that in the human fetus the spleen is not a preferential site of blood cell production between the fourth and seventh months of gestation. Like any other site, the spleen may however accommodate intravascular blood cell precursors, which may proliferate and differentiate in human fetal blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- D B Thomas
- School of Biology and Medical Sciences, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK
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Thomas DB, Ray RM, Kuypers J, Kiviat N, Koetsawang A, Ashley RL, Qin Q, Koetsawang S. Human papillomaviruses and cervical cancer in Bangkok. III. The role of husbands and commercial sex workers. Am J Epidemiol 2001; 153:740-8. [PMID: 11296145 DOI: 10.1093/aje/153.8.740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Between September 1991 and September 1993, husbands of women with and without cervical neoplasia and commercial sex workers in one brothel and one massage parlor in Bangkok, Thailand, were interviewed; serologic tests for sexually transmitted infections were performed; and cervical and penile scrapings were tested for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The risks of cervical carcinoma in monogamous women and of oncogenic HPV in their husbands were associated with the men's having unprotected intercourse with prostitutes. The prevalence of oncogenic HPV was higher in commercial sex workers than in women attending gynecologic and family planning clinics. Oncogenic HPV prevalence declined with age in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative, but not in healthy HIV-positive, commercial sex workers and was weakly associated with hepatitis B antigenemia, suggesting that persistence of HPV infection is due to subtle changes in immunity. Associations of HPV with recent pregnancy and oral contraceptive use suggest that hormonal factors may increase the risk of cervical neoplasia by enhancing persistence of HPV infection. The prevalence of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was strongly related to oncogenic HPV types and weakly to HIV infection only in their presence. Commercial sex workers in Bangkok are reservoirs of oncogenic HPV, and cervical cancer in monogamous Thai women develops in part as a result of transmission of these viruses to them by their husbands from prostitutes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D B Thomas
- Program in Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Thomas DB, Qin Q, Kuypers J, Kiviat N, Ashley RL, Koetsawang A, Ray RM, Koetsawang S. Human papillomaviruses and cervical cancer in Bangkok. II. Risk factors for in situ and invasive squamous cell cervical carcinomas. Am J Epidemiol 2001; 153:732-9. [PMID: 11296144 DOI: 10.1093/aje/153.8.732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To identify risk factors for progression of intraepithelial cervical lesions, 190 women with invasive cervical cancer were compared with 75 women with in situ disease diagnosed in Bangkok, Thailand, between September 1991 and September 1993. Polymerase chain reaction-based assays for type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical scrapings revealed oncogenic types in 79% of invasive and 57% of intraepithelial tumors. Types 16 and 18, but not types 31/33/35/39, were more common in invasive than intraepithelial tumors, and untyped HPV DNA was found more commonly in the in situ lesions, suggesting that in situ disease is four times more likely to become invasive if due to type 16 or 18 than to other causes, and that tumors with only untyped HPV are not at increased risk of progression. After controlling for HPV type, the risk of developing invasive diseases, compared with the risk of developing intraepithelial lesions, was not related to any of a large number of sexual and hormonal factors considered or to smoking, suggesting that any cofactors these variables represent act before the development of in situ carcinoma. Two indices of socioeconomic status were associated with a reduced risk of only invasive disease, suggesting the existence of unknown protective factors that operate after intraepithelial lesions develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- D B Thomas
- Program in Epidemlogy, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
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