Wellcome Open Research最新文献

We present a genome assembly from an individual female specimen of Eudasyphora cyanicolor (Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Muscidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 1,450.40 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.68%) is scaffolded into 5 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 19.34 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male specimen of Toxonevra muliebris (pallopterid fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Pallopteridae). The genome sequence has a total length of 491.40 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.07%) is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.18 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 21,433 protein-coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male specimen of Euplagia quadripunctaria (Jersey Tiger; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Erebidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 668.40 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.6%) is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.48 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female specimen of Carabus problematicus (carabid beetle; Arthropoda; Insecta; Coleoptera; Carabidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 254.00 megabases. Most of the assembly (97.1%) is scaffolded into 14 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 21.42 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 12,311 protein-coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female specimen of Galerucella nymphaeae (leaf beetle; Arthropoda; Insecta; Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 350.20 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.8%) is scaffolded into 16 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.95 kilobases in length.

Climate change has resulted in an increase in heat exposure globally. There is strong evidence that this increased heat stress is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations. However, there remains poor understanding of the biological pathways and mechanisms involved in the impact of heat in pregnancy. This observational cohort study of 764 pregnant participants based in sub-Saharan Africa, a geographical region at risk of extreme heat events, aims to evaluate the physiological and biochemical changes that occur in pregnancy due to heat stress. The key objectives of the study are to 1) map exposure to heat stress in the cohort and understand what environmental, social and community factors increase the risk of extreme heat exposure; 2) assess the impact of heat stress on maternal health, e.g. heat strain, subjective psychological well-being, sleep and activity level; 3) evaluate how heat stress impacts placenta structure and function; 4) determine how chronic heat exposure impacts birth outcomes; and 5) explore the epigenetic changes in the placenta and infant by heat stress exposure per trimester. Pregnant women will be recruited from two distinct regions in The Gambia to exploit the naturally occurring heat gradient across the country. Microclimate mapping of the area of recruitment will give detailed exposure measurements. Participants will be asked to wear a watch-style device at 28- and 35-weeks gestational age to evaluate maternal heart rate, activity and sleep. At the end of the week, an ultrasound scan will be performed to evaluate fetal size and placental blood flow. At delivery, birth outcomes will be recorded and maternal, placental and cord samples taken for epigenetic, biochemical and histological evaluation. Evaluation of neuro-behaviour and final infant samples will be taken at 1 month following birth.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male snakefly, Xanthostigma xanthostigma (Arthropoda; Insecta; Raphidioptera; Raphidiidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 623.30 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.74%) is scaffolded into 13 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.75 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 13,251 protein-coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual specimen of Stomoxys calcitrans (Stable Fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Muscidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 1,070.90 megabases. Most of the assembly (98.96%) is scaffolded into 5 chromosomal pseudomolecules.The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.6 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 15,757 protein-coding genes.

Background: Electronic informed consent can improve accuracy, workflow, and overall patient experience in clinical research but has not been used in Malawi, owing to uncertainty about availability, utility, patient data security and technical support.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the utility of electronic consent (e-consent) in an ongoing human infection study in Blantyre, Malawi.

Methods: The approved paper consent forms were digitized using Open Data Kit (ODK). Following participant information giving by the research staff, healthy literate adult participants with no audio-visual impairments completed a self-administered e-consent and provided an electronic signature. We dual-consented participants by both paper-based and electronic-consenting. Signed e-consent forms were uploaded to a secure study server. Utility of e-consenting was observed by participation rate, user-friendliness, documentation error rate, and staff perception of the overall consenting process.

Results: All 109 participants offered e-consenting accepted participation. E-consenting was user-friendly, had no identifiable documentation errors as compared to 43.1% (n 47/109) error rate with paper-based consenting, and ensured data safety, and unravelled areas for consideration. Challenges with e-consenting included difficult digitization of ethics stamped documents, as well as present but infrequent delays of retrieval of e-consent forms.

Conclusion: E-consenting is feasible, has a utility benefit in a controlled human infection study in Malawi; a low-income country, and can supplement paper-based consenting. Its usefulness can improve the consenting process in research conducted in such settings. Additionally, success of e-consenting requires a careful consideration.

Background: Anopheles s.l. displays the potential to develop tolerance to heavy metals, particularly copper, this may occur at a significant biological cost, which can adversely affect its ecological fitness. This study investigated the larval metal exposure on larval development and reproduction of An. gambiae s.s., a laboratory susceptible strain, kisumu.

Methods: Stage 2 larvae of Anopheles gambiae, Kisumu were exposed to C ₁ = 484 μg L ^-1, C ₂ = 300 μg L ^-1 and 0 μg L ^-1 (control) of copper chloride. Larval mortality, pupation time, pupation rate, gonotrophic cycle length, fecundity and fertility of larvae/adults were assessed over six generations.

Results: Results revealed that larval mortality rate was significantly higher in the C ₁ groups of each group (p = 0.000), but this mortality rate decreased over generations. Pupation time was extended to 13 and 14 days respectively for C ₂ and C ₁ groups (p = 0.000) compared to the control group. Similar results were observed for the gonotrophic cycle, which increased from 4 days at G0 to more than 6 days at generation 5 in adults of C ₁. The pupation rate in generation 4 (C ₁) and generation 5 of the same group (p = 0.000) as well as the emergence rate in generation 4 (C ₂, p = 0.000) and generation 5 (C ₁ and C ₂, p = 0.000) decreased significantly compared to the control group. The average number of eggs laid was lower in the test groups from generation 4 to generation 5 (C ₁ and C ₂, p = 0.00) and egg fertility was also negatively affected by exposure of the larval stage of An. gambiae s.s. to copper.

Conclusion: This study showed that copper not only exhibits larvicidal properties in Anopheles gambiae s.s. larvae, it also revealed the potential of this metal to reduce fecundity and fertility in these malaria vectors.