When can multiple parasites with complex life cycles coexist under conflicts of host manipulation?

Parasites are diverse and play crucial roles in ecosystems, yet mechanisms underlying their diversity remain poorly understood. Many parasites have complex life cycles, manipulating their hosts to facilitate transition through inter-host trophic interactions. When multiple parasites share a common intermediate host but transition to different definitive hosts, they face two conflicts in host manipulation strategies.

Inducible NMDA receptor knockdown reveals a maintenance phase in dendritic refinement of barrel cortex neurons.

The temporal mechanisms of activity-dependent dendritic patterning during postnatal development remain unclear because appropriate technology is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that the auxin-inducible degron 2 technology enables the rapid knockdown of target proteins at specific time points in the postnatal mouse brain. When N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) depletion was induced from postnatal day (P)3, barrel cortex layer 4 spiny stellate neurons (barrel cells) failed to form strong asymmetry and a high tree-length variance in the dendritic patterns.

Mortality of severe pneumonia treated with methylprednisolone versus hydrocortisone: a propensity-matched analysis.

Background: Corticosteroids improve the outcomes of severe pneumonia; however, the most effective type remains unknown. In this study, we compared the mortality rates of patients with severe pneumonia who were treated with methylprednisolone versus those treated with hydrocortisone.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we utilized a nationwide Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database to include adult patients with severe pneumonia who were admitted to hospitals between April 2017 and March 2022 and received either methylprednisolone or hydrocortisone.

Generation and characterization of BAC transgenic mouse lines expressing a fluorescent protein in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglion neurons.

Genetic tools to identify and isolate specific cell types are required to study different model systems in an organism. Such tools to study sensory neurons in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia are insufficient, making research progress in somatosensation difficult. Our study aimed to distinctly visualize and identify these peripheral sensory neurons in the mouse somatosensory system.

Inter- and intraspecific variation in the degree of marine-derived resources of amphidromous fishes.

Migratory animals often transport allochthonous materials, energy or organisms from donor to recipient ecosystems, thereby affecting the dynamics of consumers, communities and ecosystems in the recipient systems. The biomass of migrants is commonly assumed to be equal to that of the allochthonous materials they transport, with the inherent assumption that migrant bodies are produced purely from allochthonous resources. However, the extent to which the body composition of many migratory animals consists of allochthonous materials [e.

Seasonal timing of ecosystem linkage mediates life-history variation in a salmonid fish population.

Life-history variation can contribute to the long-term persistence of populations; however, it remains unclear which environmental factors drive life-history variation within a population. Seasonally recurring resource subsidies are common in nature and may influence variations in recipient consumers' life-history traits. In this study, we experimentally demonstrated that terrestrial invertebrate subsidies occurring early in the growing season facilitated consumer individuals to adopt fast growth.

A long-term mouse testis organ culture system to identify germ cell damage induced by chemotherapy.

We previously developed the acrosin-green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic neonatal mouse organ culture system for rapid and accurate assessment of testicular toxicity. This system effectively evaluates drug-induced toxicity in male germ cells before meiotic entry but cannot assess post-meiotic germ cell toxicity. For many chemicals, the specific stage of germ cell differentiation that is susceptible to toxicity remains unclear, highlighting the need for new methods.

Long-Term Changes in the Abundance, Size, and Morphotype of Marine Plastics in the North Pacific.

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of microplastics on the ocean surface is crucial for assessing their impact on marine ecosystems and human health; however, long-term fluctuations have not been extensively studied. We present a long-term empirical data set on floating marine plastic debris collected from 1949 to 2020 around Japan in the western North Pacific. We observed three phases: 1) a period of increase (0-10 pieces/km) from the early 1950s to the late 1970s; 2) a stagnation period, with high abundance (10-10 pieces/km), from the 1980s to the early 2010s; and 3) a period of reincrease (>10 pieces/km) from the mid-2010s to the present.

Impact of COVID-19 on resuscitation after hospital arrival for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: An interrupted time series analysis.

Background: In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods And Results: Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database, we included patients with OHCA who were transported to hospitals between April 2018 and March 2021. Patients were categorized into groups, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the day of admission (before or after April 1, 2020, respectively).

Numerical, phenotypic and functional differences in human dermal resident memory T cells between reticular dermal layers.

Background: Resident memory T (T) cells and immunosuppressive Foxp3-expressing regulatory T (regT) cells are present in healthy, non-inflamed and inflamed human skin. Both types of cells are found in both the epidermis and dermis with the dermis being much thicker than the epidermis. However, it is unclear if T and regT cells differ between reticular dermal layers in terms of number, function or characteristics.

A potential evolutionary trap for the extended phenotype of a nematomorph parasite.

Human activities introduce new environmental cues to wild organisms, leading to maladaptive behavioral and life history decisions known as the "evolutionary trap." This trap is thought to be a major conservation concern for free-living organisms. However, it has never been studied in endosymbionts, one of the most successful and diverse life forms on Earth.

Massive horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of nematomorph-driven behavioral manipulation of mantids.

To complete their life cycle, a wide range of parasites must manipulate the behavior of their hosts. This manipulation is a well-known example of the "extended phenotype," where genes in one organism have phenotypic effects on another organism. Recent studies have explored the parasite genes responsible for such manipulation of host behavior, including the potential molecular mechanisms.