Putative chemical cue from Gyrodactylus-infected guppies subtly alters behaviour but prior exposure decreases parasite intensity

The reliance on chemical communication is well established for evading predation in aquatic systems. Only a few studies have found evidence that chemical cues released from aquatic animals infected with parasites alter behaviour. Furthermore, the link between putative chemical cues and susceptibility to infection has not been studied. The objectives of this study were to determine if exposure to chemical cues from Gyrodactylus turnbulli-infected guppies (Poecilia reticulata) at various times post-infection resulted in altered behaviour of uninfected conspecifics, and if prior exposure to this putative infection cue reduced transmission. Guppies responded to this chemical cue. Those exposed for 10 min to cues released from fish that had been infected for 8 or 16 days spent less time in the centre half of the tank. Continuous exposure to infection cues for 16 days did not alter guppy shoal behaviour but provided partial protection against infection when the parasite was introduced. Shoals exposed to these putative infection cues became infected, but infection intensity increased more slowly and to a lower peak compared with shoals exposed to the control cue. These results indicate that guppies show subtle behavioural responses to infection cues, and that exposure to infection cues reduces the intensity of outbreaks.

Executive summary of evidence and consensus-based Clinical Practice Guidelines for management of obesity and overweight in midlife women: An AIIMS-DST initiative

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Weight gain is an independent risk factor for decline in cardiometabolic and overall health-related quality of life in midlife women. The AIIMS-DST initiative aims to develop and validate stepwise recommendations specific for weight management in midlife women.

METHODS

The key clinical questions specific to weight management in midlife women were finalised with the help of a multidisciplinary team of experts in the guideline development group (GDG). Phase I included a systematic and/or narrative review to gather evidence, grading of evidence and expert opinion was sought to develop clinical practice recommendations for each clinical question. Phase II focused on validation of clinical practice recommendations using the peer-review, Delphi method and GRADE approach.

RESULTS

-The guidelines provide clinical practice points to address challenges encountered by midlife women in their attempts to manage obesity via lifestyle modification techniques. The initiation of discussion would help the healthcare provider to identify the weight management needs of the women, educate women on different modalities of weight management, and empower them to incorporate corrective lifestyle behaviours. Before initiating the management, a comprehensive assessment of clinical and lifestylerelated parameters should be completed. A personalised behavioural lifestyle modification program addressing the midlife specific barriers for optimal metabolic, musculoskeletal, and mental health should be planned. A consistent follow-up is required for maintenance of corrective eating and activity habits by addressing midlife specific barriers for sustenance of healthy weight.

CONCLUSION

These recommendations will be useful in opportunistic screening and management of obesity in midlife women across healthcare settings.

Behavioural modification interventions alongside pulmonary rehabilitation improve COPD patients' experiences of physical activity

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The Clinical PROactive Physical Activity in COPD (C-PPAC) instrument, combines a questionnaire assessing the domains of amount and difficulty of physical activity (PA) with activity monitor data (steps/day and vector magnitude units) to assess patients' experiences of PA. The C-PPAC instrument is responsive to pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and to changes in clinically relevant variables. We compared the effect of PA behavioural modification interventions alongside pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) to PR alone on the C-PPAC scores in COPD patients with low baseline PA levels.

METHODS

In this randomised controlled trial, 48 patients (means ± SD: FEV₁: 50 ± 19%, baseline steps/day: 3450 ± 2342) were assigned 1:1 to receive PR alone, twice weekly for 8 weeks, or PA behavioural modification interventions (comprising motivational interviews, monitoring and feedback using a pedometer and goal setting) alongside PR (PR + PA). The C-PPAC instrument was used to assess PA experience, including a perspective of the amount and difficulty of PA.

RESULTS

There were clinically important improvements in favour of the PR + PA interventions compared to PR alone in: 1) the C-PPAC total score (mean [95% CI] difference: 8 [4 to 12] points, p = 0.001), the difficulty (mean [95% CI] difference: 8 [3 to 13] points, p = 0.002) and the amount (mean [95% CI] difference 8 [3 to 16] points, p = 0.005) domains and 2) the CAT score (mean [95% CI] difference: -2.1 [-3.8 to -0.3] points, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION

PA behavioural modification interventions alongside PR improve the experiences of PA in patients with advanced COPD and low baseline PA levels. (NCT03749655).

Behavioural modification of personality traits: testing the effect of a trematode on nymphs of the red damselfly Xanthocnemis zealandica

Research on animal personality is increasingly demonstrating that individuals in a population are characterised by distinct sets of behavioural traits that show consistency over time and across different situations. Parasites are known to alter the behaviour of their hosts, although their role in shaping host personality remains little studied. Here, we test the effect of trematode infection on two traits of their host's personality, activity and boldness, in nymphs of the red damselfly Xanthocnemis zealandica. Genetic analyses indicate that the undescribed trematode species falls within the superfamily Microphalloidea. Results of laboratory behavioural tests indicate that the two behavioural traits are related to each other: bolder individuals also show higher levels of spontaneous activity than shy ones. However, parasite infection had no effect on either of these behaviours or on their repeatability over three separate testing sessions. Although our findings suggest that this trematode does not influence personality traits of the damselfly host, it remains possible that other standard personality traits not tested here (exploratory tendency, aggressiveness) are affected by infection.