Modulation of gut microbiota composition and predicted metabolic capacity after nutritional programming with a plant-rich diet in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): insights across developmental stages.

To promote sustainable aquaculture, the formulation of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) feeds has changed in recent decades, focusing on replacing standard marine-based ingredients with plant-based alternatives, increasingly demonstrating successful outcomes in terms of fish performance. However, little is known about how these plant-based diets may impact the gut microbiota at first feeding and onwards. Nutritional programming (NP) is one strategy applied for exposing fish to a plant-based (V) diet at an early stage in life to promote full utilisation of plant-based ingredients and prevent potential adverse impacts of exposure to a plant-rich diet later in life. We investigated the impact of NP on gut microbiota by introducing fish to plant ingredients (V fish) during first feeding for a brief period of two weeks (stimulus phase) and compared those to fish fed a marine-based diet (M fish). Results demonstrated that V fish not only maintained growth performance at 16 (intermediate phase) and 22 (challenge phase) weeks post first feeding (wpff) when compared to M fish but also modulated gut microbiota. PERMANOVA general effects revealed gut microbiota dissimilarity by fish group (V vs. M fish) and phases (stimulus vs. intermediate vs. challenge). However, no interaction effect of both groups and phases was demonstrated, suggesting a sustained impact of V diet (nutritional history) on fish across time points/phases. Moreover, the V diet exerted a significant cumulative modulatory effect on the Atlantic salmon gut microbiota at 16 wpff that was not demonstrated at two wpff, although both fish groups were fed the M diet at 16 wpff. The nutritional history/dietary regime is the main NP influencing factor, whereas environmental and host factors significantly impacted microbiota composition in M fish. Microbial metabolic reactions of amino acid metabolism were higher in M fish when compared to V fish at two wpff suggesting microbiota played a role in digesting the essential amino acids of M feed. The excessive mucin O-degradation revealed in V fish at two wpff was mitigated in later life stages after NP, suggesting physiological adaptability and tolerance to V diet. Future studies are required to explore more fully how the microbiota functionally contributes to the NP.

Understanding the genetic complexity of puberty timing across the allele frequency spectrum.

Pubertal timing varies considerably and is associated with later health outcomes. We performed multi-ancestry genetic analyses on ~800,000 women, identifying 1,080 signals for age at menarche. Collectively, these explained 11% of trait variance in an independent sample. Women at the top and bottom 1% of polygenic risk exhibited ~11 and ~14-fold higher risks of delayed and precocious puberty, respectively. We identified several genes harboring rare loss-of-function variants in ~200,000 women, including variants in ZNF483, which abolished the impact of polygenic risk. Variant-to-gene mapping approaches and mouse gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuron RNA sequencing implicated 665 genes, including an uncharacterized G-protein-coupled receptor, GPR83, which amplified the signaling of MC3R, a key nutritional sensor. Shared signals with menopause timing at genes involved in DNA damage response suggest that the ovarian reserve might signal centrally to trigger puberty. We also highlight body size-dependent and independent mechanisms that potentially link reproductive timing to later life disease.

Postoperative Infection Following Hip Arthroscopy in Patients Receiving Preoperative Intra-articular Injections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Intra-articular injections prior to hip arthroscopy are often used to diagnose and conservatively manage hip pathologies, such as femoroacetabular impingement, labral tears, and chondral lesions. As a diagnostic tool, the relief of hip pain following an intra-articular injection helps pinpoint the primary source of pain and assists surgeons in recommending arthroscopic intervention for underlying intra-articular pathologies. However, when injections are not sufficiently spaced apart in time prior to hip arthroscopy, there is an elevated risk of postoperative infection. This systematic review aims to assess whether preoperative intra-articular injections prior to hip arthroscopy are associated with an increased risk of postoperative infection and to determine the safety timeframe for administering such injections prior to the procedure. A comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases to identify studies examining the relationship between preoperative intra-articular injections and postoperative infection following hip arthroscopy. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the risk of infection between patients who received injections prior to hip arthroscopy at varying intervals and those who did not receive any preoperative injections. Five studies were included (four level III and one level IV), which consisted of 58,576 patients (58.4% female). Injections administered anytime prior to hip arthroscopy posed a significantly higher risk of infection compared to no history of prior injections (risk ratio: 1.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.14-1.85, P = 0.003). However, upon subanalysis, the risk of infection was significantly higher among patients who received injections within three months prior to hip arthroscopy compared to those who did not receive injections (risk ratio: 1.55, 95% confidence interval: 1.19-2.01, P = 0.001). Additionally, no significant difference in infection risk was observed when injections were administered more than three months before hip arthroscopy compared to no injections (risk ratio: 1.05, 95% confidence interval: 0.56-1.99, P = 0.87). The findings suggest that patients undergoing hip arthroscopy who have previously received intra-articular injections may face a statistically higher risk of postoperative infection, particularly when the injection is administered within three months prior to hip arthroscopy. Consequently, surgeons should exercise caution and avoid administering intra-articular injections to patients scheduled for hip arthroscopy within the subsequent three months to mitigate the increased risk of infection.

Designing eco-evolutionary experiments for restoration projects: Opportunities and constraints revealed during stickleback introductions.

Eco-evolutionary experiments are typically conducted in semi-unnatural controlled settings, such as mesocosms; yet inferences about how evolution and ecology interact in the real world would surely benefit from experiments in natural uncontrolled settings. Opportunities for such experiments are rare but do arise in the context of restoration ecology-where different "types" of a given species can be introduced into different "replicate" locations. Designing such experiments requires wrestling with consequential questions. (Q1) Which specific "types" of a focal species should be introduced to the restoration location? (Q2) How many sources of each type should be used-and should they be mixed together? (Q3) Which specific source populations should be used? (Q4) Which type(s) or population(s) should be introduced into which restoration sites? We recently grappled with these questions when designing an eco-evolutionary experiment with threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) introduced into nine small lakes and ponds on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska that required restoration. After considering the options at length, we decided to use benthic versus limnetic ecotypes (Q1) to create a mixed group of colonists from four source populations of each ecotype (Q2), where ecotypes were identified based on trophic morphology (Q3), and were then introduced into nine restoration lakes scaled by lake size (Q4). We hope that outlining the alternatives and resulting choices will make the rationales clear for future studies leveraging our experiment, while also proving useful for investigators considering similar experiments in the future.

Providers' and survivors' perspectives on the availability and accessibility of surgery in gastrointestinal cancer care.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is essential for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer treatment. Many patients lack access to surgical care that optimizes outcomes. Scarce availability and/or low accessibility of appropriate resources may be the reason for this, especially in economically disadvantaged areas. This study aimed to investigate providers' and survivors' perspectives on barriers and facilitators to the availability and accessibility of surgical care. METHODS: Semistructured interviews informed by surgical disparities and access-to-care conceptual frameworks with purposively selected GI cancer providers and survivors in Alabama and Mississippi were conducted. Survivors were within 3 years of diagnosis of stage I to III esophageal, pancreatic, or colorectal cancer. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic and content analysis techniques. Intercoder agreement was reached at 90 %. RESULTS: The 27 providers included surgeons (n = 11), medical oncologists (n = 2), radiation oncologists (n = 2), a primary care physician (n = 1), nurses (n = 8), and patient navigators (n = 3). This study included 36 survivors with ages ranging from 44 to 87 years. Of the 36 survivors, 21 (58.3 %) were male, and 11 (30.6 %) identified as Black. Responses were grouped into 3 broad categories: (i) transportation/geographic location, (ii) specialized care/testing, and (iii) patient-/provider-related factors. The barriers included lack and cost of transportation, reluctance to travel because of uneasiness with urban centers, low availability of specialized care, overburdened referral centers, provider-related referral biases, and low health literacy. Facilitators included availability of charitable aid, centralizing multidisciplinary care, and efficient appointment scheduling. CONCLUSION: In the Deep South, barriers and facilitators to the availability and accessibility of GI surgical cancer care were identified at the health system, provider, and patient levels, especially for rural residents. Our data suggest targets for improving the use of surgery in GI cancer care.

Predictable and Divergent Change in the Multivariate P Matrix during Parallel Adaptation.

AbstractAdaptation to replicated environmental conditions can be remarkably predictable, suggesting that parallel evolution may be a common feature of adaptive radiation. An open question, however, is how phenotypic variation itself evolves during repeated adaptation. Here, we use a dataset of morphological measurements from 35 populations of threespine stickleback, consisting of 16 parapatric lake-stream pairs and three marine populations, to understand how phenotypic variation has evolved during transitions from marine to freshwater environments and during subsequent diversification across the lake-stream boundary. We find statistical support for divergent phenotypic covariance (P) across populations, with most diversification of P occurring among freshwater populations. Despite a close correspondence between within-population phenotypic variation and among-population divergence, we find that variation in P is unrelated to total variation in population means across the set of populations. For lake-stream pairs, we find that theoretical predictions for microevolutionary change can explain more than 30% of divergence in P matrices across the habitat boundary. Together, our results indicate that divergence in variance structure occurs primarily in dimensions of trait space with low phenotypic integration, correlated with disparate lake and stream environments. Our findings illustrate how conserved and divergent features of multivariate variation can underlie adaptive radiation.

Speciation.

What drives the emergence of new species has fascinated biologists since Darwin. Reproductive barriers to gene flow are a key step in the formation of species, and recent advances have shed new light on how these are established. Genetic, genomic, and comparative techniques, together with improved theoretical frameworks, are increasing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. They are also helping us forecast speciation and reveal the impact of human activity.

Assessment of Surgical Complications Strengthen the Relationship Between Spine Surgery Procedure Intensity and Chronic Opioid use After Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort using routinely-collected health data. OBJECTIVE: To compare opioid use based on surgery intensity (low or high). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Many factors influence an individual's experience of pain. The extent to which post-surgical opioid use is influenced by the severity of spine surgery is unknown. METHODS: The participants were individuals undergoing spine surgery in a large military hospital. Procedures were categorized as low-intensity (e.g., microdiscectomy and laminectomy) and high-intensity (e.g., fusion and arthroplasty). The Surgical Scheduling System and Military Health System Data Repository were queried for healthcare utilization the 1 year before and after surgery. We compared opioid use after surgery between groups, adjusting for prior opioid use and surgical complications. RESULTS: 342 individuals met the inclusion criteria, mean age 45.4 years (SD 10.9), 33.0% female. Of these, 221(64.6%) underwent a low-intensity procedure and 121(35.4%) underwent a high-intensity procedure. Mean postoperative opioid prescription fills were greater in the high- versus low-intensity group (9.0 vs. 5.7;P<0.001), as were the mean total days' supply (158.9 vs. 81.8;P<0.001). Median morphine milligram equivalents were not significantly different (MME; 40.2 vs. 42.7;P=0.287). 26.3% of the cohort were chronic opioid users after surgery. Adjusted rates of long-term opioid use were not different between groups when only accounting for prior opioid use, but significantly higher for the high-intensity group when adjusting for surgical complications (OR=2.08;95CI 1.09,3.97). 52.5% of the entire cohort was still filling opioid prescriptions after six months. CONCLUSION: Higher-intensity procedures were associated with greater postoperative opioid use than lower-intensity procedures. Chronic opioid use was not significantly different between surgical intensity groups when considering only prior opioid use. Chronic opioid use was significantly higher among higher intensity procedures when accounting for surgical complications. The prresence of surgical complications is a stronger predictor of post-surgical long-term opioid use in high intensity surgeries than history of opioid use alone.

Preoperative Education is Associated with Adherence to Downstream Components and Outcomes in a Colorectal Surgery Enhanced Recovery Program.

Objective: This study evaluated the association between preoperative education and adherence to downstream components of enhanced recovery programs (ERPs) and surgical outcomes among patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Background: ERPs improve outcomes for surgical patients. While preoperative education is an essential component of ERPs, its relationship with other components is unclear. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all ERP patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery from 2019 to 2022. Our institutional ERP database was linked with American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data and stratified by adherence to preoperative education. Primary outcomes included adherence to individual ERP components and secondary outcomes included high-level ERP adherence (>70% of components), length of stay (LOS), readmissions, and 30-day complications. Results: A total of 997 patients were included. The mean (SD) age was 56.5 (15.8) years, 686 (57.3%) were female, and 717 (71.9%) were white. On adjusted analysis, patients who received preoperative education (n = 877, 88%) had higher adherence rates for the following ERP components: no prolonged fasting (estimate = +19.6%; P < 0.001), preoperative blocks (+8.0%; P = 0.02), preoperative multimodal analgesia (+18.0%; P < 0.001), early regular diet (+15.9%; P < 0.001), and postoperative multimodal analgesia (+6.4%; P < 0.001). High-level ERP adherence was 13.4% higher (P < 0.01) and LOS was 2.0 days shorter (P < 0.001) for those who received preoperative education. Classification and regression tree analysis identified preoperative education as the first-level predictor for adherence to early regular diet, the second-level predictor for LOS, and the third-level predictor for ERP high-level adherence. Conclusion: Preoperative education is associated with adherence to ERP components and improved surgical outcomes.

Risk Factors for Hospital Readmission Following Noncardiac Surgery: International Cohort Study.

Objective: To determine timing and risk factors associated with readmission within 30 days of discharge following noncardiac surgery. Background: Hospital readmission after noncardiac surgery is costly. Data on the drivers of readmission have largely been derived from single-center studies focused on a single surgical procedure with uncertainty regarding generalizability. Methods: We undertook an international (28 centers, 14 countries) prospective cohort study of a representative sample of adults ≥45 years of age who underwent noncardiac surgery. Risk factors for readmission were assessed using Cox regression (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00512109). Results: Of 36,657 eligible participants, 2744 (7.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.2-7.8) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Rates of readmission were highest in the first 7 days after discharge and declined over the follow-up period. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that 9 baseline characteristics (eg, cancer treatment in past 6 months; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% CI, 1.30-1.59), 5 baseline laboratory and physical measures (eg, estimated glomerular filtration rate or on dialysis; HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.24-1.75), 7 surgery types (eg, general surgery; HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.61-2.16), 5 index hospitalization events (eg, stroke; HR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.24-3.94), and 3 other factors (eg, discharge to nursing home; HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.33-1.95) were associated with readmission. Conclusions: Readmission following noncardiac surgery is common (1 in 13 patients). We identified perioperative risk factors associated with 30-day readmission that can help frontline clinicians identify which patients are at the highest risk of readmission and target them for preventive measures.

Geometric phase predicts locomotion performance in undulating living systems across scales.

Self-propelling organisms locomote via generation of patterns of self-deformation. Despite the diversity of body plans, internal actuation schemes and environments in limbless vertebrates and invertebrates, such organisms often use similar traveling waves of axial body bending for movement. Delineating how self-deformation parameters lead to locomotor performance (e.g. speed, energy, turning capabilities) remains challenging. We show that a geometric framework, replacing laborious calculation with a diagrammatic scheme, is well-suited to discovery and comparison of effective patterns of wave dynamics in diverse living systems. We focus on a regime of undulatory locomotion, that of highly damped environments, which is applicable not only to small organisms in viscous fluids, but also larger animals in frictional fluids (sand) and on frictional ground. We find that the traveling wave dynamics used by mm-scale nematode worms and cm-scale desert dwelling snakes and lizards can be described by time series of weights associated with two principal modes. The approximately circular closed path trajectories of mode weights in a self-deformation space enclose near-maximal surface integral (geometric phase) for organisms spanning two decades in body length. We hypothesize that such trajectories are targets of control (which we refer to as "serpenoid templates"). Further, the geometric approach reveals how seemingly complex behaviors such as turning in worms and sidewinding snakes can be described as modulations of templates. Thus, the use of differential geometry in the locomotion of living systems generates a common description of locomotion across taxa and provides hypotheses for neuromechanical control schemes at lower levels of organization.

Association of Preoperative Patient Resilience With Postoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes and Sleep Quality Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review.

Recent studies have shown that low preoperative resilience may lead to inferior outcomes following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate whether preoperative patient resilience is associated with outcome measures, including patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) and sleep quality, following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. To perform the review, a literature search was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using the PubMed and Embase databases to gather studies related to the influence of preoperative resilience on postoperative outcomes of rotator cuff repair. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies (MINORS). Seven studies with 584 patients were included. Of 36 total reported postoperative outcomes, including PROMs and sleep quality, 14 had a significant positive correlation with higher preoperative resilience. One study reported that higher resilience was significantly correlated with worse sleep quality at a two-week follow-up but not at further follow-ups of up to 24 weeks. Significant differences in outcomes between patients with varying levels of resilience were assessed in five studies, all of which found that patients with higher resilience had significantly better outcomes or no significant differences in outcomes between patients with varying levels of preoperative resilience. In no study was it reported that patients with low resilience had better outcomes. Overall, approximately half of all reported postoperative outcome data was found to be significantly associated with preoperative resilience. Therefore, clinicians should preemptively identify those with low resilience and administer psychological interventions to limit inferior outcomes following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Cumulus: a federated electronic health record-based learning system powered by Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources and artificial intelligence.

OBJECTIVE: To address challenges in large-scale electronic health record (EHR) data exchange, we sought to develop, deploy, and test an open source, cloud-hosted app "listener" that accesses standardized data across the SMART/HL7 Bulk FHIR Access application programming interface (API). METHODS: We advance a model for scalable, federated, data sharing and learning. Cumulus software is designed to address key technology and policy desiderata including local utility, control, and administrative simplicity as well as privacy preservation during robust data sharing, and artificial intelligence (AI) for processing unstructured text. RESULTS: Cumulus relies on containerized, cloud-hosted software, installed within a healthcare organization's security envelope. Cumulus accesses EHR data via the Bulk FHIR interface and streamlines automated processing and sharing. The modular design enables use of the latest AI and natural language processing tools and supports provider autonomy and administrative simplicity. In an initial test, Cumulus was deployed across 5 healthcare systems each partnered with public health. Cumulus output is patient counts which were aggregated into a table stratifying variables of interest to enable population health studies. All code is available open source. A policy stipulating that only aggregate data leave the institution greatly facilitated data sharing agreements. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Cumulus addresses barriers to data sharing based on (1) federally required support for standard APIs, (2) increasing use of cloud computing, and (3) advances in AI. There is potential for scalability to support learning across myriad network configurations and use cases.

Exploring the sequence-function space of microbial fucosidases.

Microbial α-L-fucosidases catalyse the hydrolysis of terminal α-L-fucosidic linkages and can perform transglycosylation reactions. Based on sequence identity, α-L-fucosidases are classified in glycoside hydrolases (GHs) families of the carbohydrate-active enzyme database. Here we explored the sequence-function space of GH29 fucosidases. Based on sequence similarity network (SSN) analyses, 15 GH29 α-L-fucosidases were selected for functional characterisation. HPAEC-PAD and LC-FD-MS/MS analyses revealed substrate and linkage specificities for α1,2, α1,3, α1,4 and α1,6 linked fucosylated oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates, consistent with their SSN clustering. The structural basis for the substrate specificity of GH29 fucosidase from Bifidobacterium asteroides towards α1,6 linkages and FA2G2 N-glycan was determined by X-ray crystallography and STD NMR. The capacity of GH29 fucosidases to carry out transfucosylation reactions with GlcNAc and 3FN as acceptors was evaluated by TLC combined with ESI-MS and NMR. These experimental data supported the use of SSN to further explore the GH29 sequence-function space through machine-learning models. Our lightweight protein language models could accurately allocate test sequences in their respective SSN clusters and assign 34,258 non-redundant GH29 sequences into SSN clusters. It is expected that the combination of these computational approaches will be used in the future for the identification of novel GHs with desired specificities.

Hospital policy of tranexamic acid to reduce transfusion in major non-cardiac surgery (TRACTION): protocol for a phase IV randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an inexpensive and widely available medication that reduces blood loss and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in cardiac and orthopaedic surgeries. While the use of TXA in these surgeries is routine, its efficacy and safety in other surgeries, including oncologic surgeries, with comparable rates of transfusion are uncertain. Our primary objective is to evaluate whether a hospital-level policy implementation of routine TXA use in patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery reduces RBC transfusion without increasing thrombotic risk. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A pragmatic, registry-based, blinded, cluster-crossover randomised controlled trial at 10 Canadian sites, enrolling patients undergoing non-cardiac surgeries at high risk for RBC transfusion. Sites are randomised in 4-week intervals to a hospital policy of intraoperative TXA or matching placebo. TXA is administered as 1 g at skin incision, followed by an additional 1 g prior to skin closure. Coprimary outcomes are (1) effectiveness, evaluated as the proportion of patients transfused RBCs during hospital admission and (2) safety, evaluated as the proportion of patients diagnosed with venous thromboembolism within 90 days. Secondary outcomes include: (1) transfusion: number of RBC units transfused (both at a hospital and patient level); (2) safety: in-hospital diagnoses of myocardial infarction, stroke, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism; (3) clinical: hospital length of stay, intensive care unit admission, hospital survival, 90-day survival and the number of days alive and out of hospital to day 30; and (4) compliance: the proportion of enrolled patients who receive a minimum of one dose of the study intervention. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Institutional research ethics board approval has been obtained at all sites. At the completion of the trial, a plain language summary of the results will be posted on the trial website and distributed in the lay press. Our trial results will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04803747.

Survival and Neurologic Outcomes From Pharmacologic Peptide Administration During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of Pulseless Electrical Activity.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes from cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) following sudden cardiac arrest are suboptimal. Postresuscitation targeted temperature management has been shown to have benefit in subjects with sudden cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, but there are few data for outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest due to pulseless electrical activity. In addition, intra-CPR cooling is more effective than postresuscitation cooling. Physical cooling is associated with increased protein kinase B activity. Therefore, our group developed a novel peptide, TAT-PHLPP9c, which regulates protein kinase B. We hypothesized that when given during CPR, TAT-PHLPP9c would improve survival and neurologic outcomes following pulseless electrical activity arrest. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 24 female pigs, pulseless electrical activity was induced by inflating balloon catheters in the right coronary and left anterior descending arteries for ≈7 minutes. Advanced life support was initiated. In 12 control animals, epinephrine was given after 1 and 3 minutes. In 12 peptide-treated animals, 7.5 mg/kg TAT-PHLPP9c was also administered at 1 and 3 minutes of CPR. The balloons were removed after 2 minutes of support. Animals were recovered and neurologically scored 24 hours after return of spontaneous circulation. Return of spontaneous circulation was more common in the peptide group, but this difference was not significant (8/12 control versus 12/12 peptide; P=0.093), while fully intact neurologic survival was significantly more common in the peptide group (0/12 control versus 11/12 peptide; P<0.00001). TAT-PHLPP9c significantly increased myocardial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels. CONCLUSIONS: TAT-PHLPP9c resulted in improved survival with full neurologic function after sudden cardiac arrest in a swine model of pulseless electrical activity, and the peptide shows potential as an intra-CPR pharmacologic agent.

Validation of open-path dual-comb spectroscopy against an O2 background: erratum.

This erratum corrects errors that appear in Opt. Express31, 5042 (2023).10.1364/OE.480301.

Alien plant species distribution in Romania: a nationwide survey following the implementation of the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species.

Background: Biological invasions pose an increasing risk to nature, social security and the economy, being ranked amongst the top five threats to biodiversity. Managing alien and invasive species is a priority for the European Union, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Alien plant species are acknowledged to impact the economy and biodiversity; thus, analysing the distribution of such species provides valuable inputs for the management and decision-making processes. The database presented in the current study is the first consolidated checklist of alien plant species that are present in Romania, both of European Union concern and of national interest. This database complements a prior published distribution, based only on records from literature, bringing new information regarding the occurrence of alien plants in Romania, as revealed by a nationwide field survey. We consider this database a valuable instrument for managing biological invasions at both national and regional levels, as it can be utilised in further research studies and in drafting management and action plans, assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions and implementing management actions. New information: We present the results of the first nationwide survey of alien plant species in Romania, conducted between 2019 and 2022, in the framework of a national project coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and the University of Bucharest. The present database complements and updates the database published by Sirbu et. al (2022), which included occurrence records published until 2019. The new database includes 98323 occurrence records for 396 alien plant species in 77 families, with most species belonging to the Asteraceae family. One alien plant species in our database, the black locust Robiniapseudoacacia L., had more than 10,000 occurrence records. The distribution database also includes information on newly-reported invasive alien plant species of European Union concern in Romania (i.e. the floating primrose-willow Ludwigiapeploides (Kunth) P.H.Raven) and documents the presence of plants in 44 additional families compared to Sirbu et al. (2022). Each entry includes information on species taxonomy, location, year, person who recorded and identified the alien plant, geographical coordinates and taxon rank.