ABSTRACT
Graphs in research articles can increase the comprehension of statistical data but may mislead readers if poorly designed. We propose a new plot type, the sea stack plot, which combines vertical histograms and summary statistics to represent large univariate datasets accurately, usefully, and efficiently. We compare five commonly used plot types (dot and whisker plots, boxplots, density plots, univariate scatter plots, and dot plots) to assess their relative strengths and weaknesses when representing distributions of data commonly observed in biological studies. We find the assessed plot types are either difficult to read at large sample sizes or have the potential to misrepresent certain distributions of data, showing the need for an improved method of data visualisation. We present an analysis of the plot types used in four ecology and conservation journals covering multiple areas of these research fields, finding widespread use of uninformative bar charts and dot and whisker plots (60% of all panels showing univariate data from multiple groups for the purpose of comparison). Some articles presented more informative figures by combining plot types (16% of panels), generally boxplots and a second layer such as a flat density plot, to better display the data. This shows an appetite for more effective plot types within conservation and ecology, which may further increase if accurate and user-friendly plot types were made available. Finally, we describe sea stack plots and explain how they overcome the weaknesses associated with other alternatives to uninformative plots when used for large and/or unevenly distributed data. We provide a tool to create sea stack plots with our R package 'seastackplot', available through GitHub.
ABSTRACT
Airway complications post lung transplant including ischaemia and dehiscence have a significant associated mortality (2%-4%) and morbidity. We describe a case of a 22-year-old female who developed significant bilateral anastomotic dehiscence with severe ischaemia following a bilateral single sequential lung transplant (BSSLTx). Following an intensive antimicrobial regimen, judicious bronchoscopic surveillance, and a prolonged inpatient stay, the dehiscence resolved without requiring further surgical intervention. Our case highlights a space in the literature for further research with regard to airway complications post-lung transplant and their management.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate selected stress, immune, and growth consequences of maternal separation and separation with supplemental stroking in neonatal BALB/c infant mice and their dams. Three groups of 5 litters each (7 pups per litter) were studied. Control litters were undisturbed. Separated litters experienced 3 h of daily maternal deprivation on postnatal days 6 to 10. Separated/stroked litters were separated also, but for 2 h, which was then followed by 1 h of stroking with a wet paintbrush to simulate maternal tactile stimulation. After the experimental period, all animals were returned to the nest and left undisturbed for 5 additional days. One pup from each litter was sacrificed on postnatal days 6, 8, 10, and 15. Spleens and thymuses were removed, weighed, and homogenized for cell sorting, cytokine analysis, and proliferation studies. Blood was drawn for corticosterone levels and hematocrit. Hematocrits and thymus weights were lower in separated mice, suggesting decreased growth and protein synthesis. Separated/stroked pups had increased splenic proliferation responses to conconavalin A and phytohemagglutinin at day 15. Separated dams' proliferative response to ConA was lower than control dams at day 15. Day 15 decreases in thymic CD8 cells occurred in pups, with an increased thymic H:S ratio in separated pups. CD90 cells were higher at day 15 in separated/stroked pups as were CD25s at day 10 in spleen and thymus. However, gene expression of cytokines was not measurable in spleen and thymic cells, with the exception of gamma-IFN in separated/stroked animals. Pooled organ homogenates were used in this preliminary work, and further studies are needed to more precisely analyze the stress, immune, and growth effects of these interventions.
