Afrikaans

Background:The geographic range of the tick Amblyomma americanum, a vector of diseases of public health significance such as ehrlichiosis, has expanded from the southeast of the United States northward during the 20th century. Recently, populations of this tick have been reported to be present close to the Canadian border in Michigan and New York states, but established populations are not known in Canada. Previous research suggests that changing temperature patterns with climate change may influence tick life cycles and permit northward range expansion of ticks in the northern hemisphere.Objectives:We aimed to estimate minimal temperature conditions for survival of A. americanum populations at the northern edge of the tick’s range and to investigate the possibility of range expansion of A. americanum into northern U.S. states and southern Canada in the coming decades.Methods:A simulation model of the tick A. americanum was used, via simulations using climate data from meteorological stations in the United States and Canada, to estimate minimal temperature conditions for survival of A. americanum populations at the northern edge of the tick’s range.Results:The predicted geographic scope of temperature suitability [ annual cumulative degree days (DD) ] included most of the central and eastern U.S. states east of longitude 110°W, which is consistent with current surveillance data for the presence of the tick in this region, as well as parts of southern Quebec and Ontario in Canada. Regional climate model output raises the possibility of northward range expansion into all provinces of Canada from Alberta to Newfoundland and Labrador during the coming decades, with the greatest northward range expansion (up to by the year 2100) occurring under the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5. Predicted northward range expansion was reduced by approximately half under the reduced GHG emissions of RCP4.5.Discussion:Our results raise the possibility of range expansion of A. americanum into northern U.S. states and southern Canada in the coming decades, and conclude that surveillance for this tick, and the diseases it transmits, would be prudent. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5668

Rationale: Incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates of pulmonary sarcoidosis have been increasing globally. This analysis assesses these factors in pulmonary sarcoidosis patients with parenchymal involvement in the United States. Methods: Incidence and prevalence were evaluated using 2022 claims data from the Medicare 5% Standard Analytic File (SAF) and MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters (MarketScan) databases by age, and applied to the 2022 US population. Patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis with parenchymal involvement (Scadding Stage 2-4) were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) diagnosis codes for sarcoidosis of the lung (D86.0, D86.2). The subset of prevalent patients without sarcoidosis of the lung diagnosis for ≥2 years prior were considered incident. Demographic distributions were assessed, with race data available only for the Medicare population. Three-year hospitalization and mortality were assessed in Medicare 5% SAF and MarketScan 2017-2023 data among patients identified in July 2019 – June 2020 and followed longitudinally. Disease-related hospitalizations were identified via diagnosis codes on inpatient hospital facility claims. Three-year all-cause mortality was assessed in Medicare patients over 65 years of age, and compared to age-, sex-, and race-adjusted general US population mortality rates using the one proportion z-test. Results: US annual age-adjusted incidence and prevalence of pulmonary sarcoidosis with parenchymal involvement were 30,000 (9.0 per 100,000) and 158,900 (47.7 per 100,000), respectively. Age-adjusted demographics were 57% female among incident patients and 59% among prevalent patients. Racial distribution was 72% white and 21% black in incident patients, and 70% white and 25% black in prevalent patients. The average age of incident and prevalent patients was 60 and 62, respectively. The observed three-year hospitalization rate was 12% across all patients (mean 1.6 admissions among hospitalized patients), and 8% in one year among non-incident patients. Among Medicare patients, three-year mortality rates were 15.4% in 65-74 year-olds (vs 8.0% general population; p<0.0001), 24.0% in 75-84 year-olds (vs 15.1%; p<0.0001), and 44.0% in 85+ year-olds (vs 33.9%; p=0.13) (Figure 1). Conclusions: Pulmonary sarcoidosis with parenchymal involvement impacts approximately 158,900 US patients annually, with 30,000 newly diagnosed patients each year, supporting reports of a growing population. Average age was older than previously reported. Burden among these patients is high, with one in eight patients hospitalized in three years, with multiple admissions on average. Older patients face significantly elevated mortality risks compared to the general population adjusted for age, sex, and race.

<i>Sicyos angulatus</i>

Racially minoritized and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations are currently underrepresented in clinical trials. Data-driven, quantitative analyses and strategies are required to help address this inequity. To systematically analyze the geographical distribution of self-identified racial and socioeconomic demographics within commuting distance to cancer clinical trial centers and other hospitals in the US. This longitudinal quantitative study used data from the US Census 2020 Decennial and American community survey (which collects data from all US residents), OpenStreetMap, National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers list, Nature Index of Cancer Research Health Institutions, National Trial registry, and National Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data. Statistical analyses were performed on data collected between 2006 and 2020. Population distributions of socioeconomic deprivation indices and self-identified race within 30-, 60-, and 120-minute 1-way driving commute times from US cancer trial sites. Map overlay of high deprivation index and high diversity areas with existing hospitals, existing major cancer trial centers, and commuting distance to the closest cancer trial center. The 78 major US cancer trial centers that are involved in 94% of all US cancer trials and included in this study were found to be located in areas with socioeconomically more affluent populations with higher proportions of self-identified White individuals (+10.1% unpaired mean difference; 95% CI, +6.8% to +13.7%) compared with the national average. The top 10th percentile of all US hospitals has catchment populations with a range of absolute sum difference from 2.4% to 35% from one-third each of Asian/multiracial/other (Asian alone, American Indian or Alaska Native alone, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone, some other race alone, population of 2 or more races), Black or African American, and White populations. Currently available data are sufficient to identify diverse census tracks within preset commuting times (30, 60, or 120 minutes) from all hospitals in the US (N = 7623). Maps are presented for each US city above 500 000 inhabitants, which display all prospective hospitals and major cancer trial sites within commutable distance to racially diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. This study identified biases in the sociodemographics of populations living within commuting distance to US-based cancer trial sites and enables the determination of more equitably commutable prospective satellite hospital sites that could be mobilized for enhanced racial and socioeconomic representation in clinical trials. The maps generated in this work may inform the design of future clinical trials or investigations in enrollment and retention strategies for clinical trials; however, other recruitment barriers still need to be addressed to ensure racial and socioeconomic demographics within the geographical vicinity of a clinical site can translate to equitable trial participant representation.

Plant species disjunctions have attracted the interest of ecologists for decades. We investigated Trichloris crinita, a native C4 perennial grass with disjunct distribution between subtropical regions of North and South America, testing the hypothesis that the species has a similar realized climatic niche in both subcontinents. The climatic niche of T. crinita in North and South America was characterized and compared using presence records and five uncorrelated bioclimatic variables selected according to their ecological importance for the species. We used reciprocal modeling to make geographic projections of the realized niche within each subcontinent. Niche overlap between T. crinita distributions in North and South America was intermediate for the individual climatic variables and the multivariate space. In all cases the test of equivalence between climates inhabited by T. crinita indicated that the realized niche of the species differ significantly between subcontinents. Also, the similarity test showed that in the majority of cases the realized niche in both subcontinents was significantly different than that expected by chance. T. crinita occupied a greater diversity of environments in South than in North America, while in the latter its distribution was displaced to drier and warmer environments. The modeled geographic distribution using the actual occurrences of the species in North America did not accurately predict the distribution in South America, and vice versa. Together, these results led us to reject the hypothesis of similar niche of T. crinita in both subcontinents. This information may be useful to manage restoration efforts by presenting the suitable areas and climates for the species, and suggesting that translocation of individuals between subcontinents could only be recommended with caution because introduced genotypes can be potentially maladaptive, and could colonize sites actually not occupied by the species within each subcontinent.

This paper considers the results of an empirical investigation of overt language attitudes held by students attending North-West University, South Africa. Attitudes elicited from 325 students with mainly Setswana, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English as home languages are analysed comparatively. The study explores the relationship between language preferences in an educational environment and language preferences in other domains of students’ daily lives. The study thus indicates how different languages fulfil different roles in a multilingual university environment. The results presented are compared with findings reported in earlier attitudinal investigations from the Eastern Cape. In addition, a comparative analysis of attitudes by Afrikaans speakers is conducted considering students attending classes at two different campuses of the North-West University. At the traditional Afrikaans university campus, Potchefstroom, students show a higher regard for Afrikaans than students who attend classes at the Vaal Triangle. These findings are used in a discussion of context dependency of overt language preferences.

The genusDrepanaphisdel Guercio currently includes 16 species, all of which are found in North America. Representatives of this genus are narrow oligophages associated mainly with plants of the genusAcer.Previous studies have focused only on the morphology of selected species, while not considering their geographical distribution. Among all species, the painted maple aphidDrepanaphis acerifoliaedeserves particular attention, because it represents the broadest range in North America and is the only species of this genus to be found outside of its natural range, i.e. in Europe. Thanks to suitable niche modelling based on a maximum entropy model, we were able to present maps with the potential distribution ofD.acerifoliaein its natural range. In North America, its distribution coincides with the natural range of the host plants (native to the eastern part), as well as the areas where they are planted (the western part). An extrapolation of these results to the area of Europe allowed for the designation of places where the aphids can find suitable climatic conditions for developing and expanding their spatial distribution. The model indicated the Mediterranean basin, almost all of Italy, excluding mountainous areas, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the western part of Germany, the southeast and central part of Great Britain, Hungary and the Balkan Peninsula. In a more continental view, the model pointed to areas stretching from the middle of eastern Ukraine, including Crimea, through Russia, to northern parts of Kazakhstan along the border with Russia. Additionally, the impact of climate change on the spread of the species within the next 80 years was analysed, both in North America and Europe. Models considering the potential future climate changes indicate thatD.acerifoliaemay find suitable niches further north of its current ranges. In North America, this is mostly areas of eastern Canada, while in Europe it includes the central and eastern part and the Asian part of Russia.

Caloplaca marina and C. rosei, Two Difficult Species in North America

AimIt is commonly asserted that climate presents the primary constraint on species’ geographic distributions, and that species’ distributions should therefore shift to track changing climate. However, the evidence is surprisingly mixed about the causal link between species’ distributions and climate. Correlations between distributions and climate may be indirect, reflecting influences of other spatially structured habitat variables (e.g., land cover) and/or population processes (e.g., dispersal). Here, we ask if species’ geographic distributions are more strongly related to climate, or to other spatially structured variables.LocationThe contiguous United States and southern Canada.Time period1990–2000.Major taxa studiedNorth American passerine birds.MethodsWe used the breeding‐season distributions of 19 widespread species of passerine birds whose breeding‐season distributions fall entirely within the area sampled by the North American Breeding Bird Survey. We related these distributions to temperature and precipitation, geographic coordinates, and the degree of occupation of neighboring sites by conspecifics. Two spatial scales were examined: the geographic location of species’ ranges within North America, and site occupancy within species' ranges. We examine these relationships using generalized linear models, structural equation modeling, random forest models and spatial correlograms.ResultsOn average, geographic coordinates and a model of neighborhood occupancy outperform a simple climatic model. After controlling for geographic coordinates, species occupancy is poorly related to climate. Neighborhood occupancy accounts for the majority of variance captured by geographic coordinates within ranges, and more for the continental placement of ranges. On average, species’ distributions are more strongly and more directly related to spatial coordinates, and neighborhood occupancy, than to climate.Main conclusionsOur results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that climate is the primary, direct determinant of species’ geographic distributions. Rather, other spatially structured factors appear to be stronger determinants of both continental range placement and within‐range distributions of this sample of North American birds.

We assessed race, ethnicity, and geographic diversity in pivotal trials of biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs approved for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the United States. We conducted a descriptive epidemiologic study, examining the reporting and representation of race, ethnicity, and geographic distribution of trial sites in pivotal PsA trials using data from journal publications, the Drugs@FDA database, and ClinicalTrials.gov. We identified 29 pivotal PsA trials for 16 targeted therapies with start dates between 2000 and 2019. Race data were reported in 93% of trials. Race reporting was highest in journal publications (86%); however, among these, 46% reported only the proportion of White participants. Ethnicity data were available for 41% of trials, primarily from ClinicalTrials.gov, with improved reporting in recent years. Among 14,165 participants in 27 trials with race data, 92% were White, 7% were Asian, and fewer than 1% were Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Among 8,105 participants in 12 trials with ethnicity data, 11% were Hispanic or Latino individuals. Location data were available for 26 trials. In the United States, trial activity was highest in Texas (24 trials), Florida and Pennsylvania (22 each), and California (20), strongly correlating with state population size (r = 0.78, P < 0.0001). Globally, trial sites were identified in 55 countries, primarily in North America and Europe, with fewer sites in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Racial and ethnic diversity in pivotal PsA trials remains limited. Tailored and multifaceted strategies are needed to improve participant representativeness in future trials.

Racial and Ethnic Distribution in Diabetic Macular Edema Clinical Trials in the United States (2002–2021)

A description is provided for Puccinia punctiformis . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. DISEASE: Rust of Cirsium species only. Since 1923 there has been some interest in North America and New Zealand in using P. punctiformis as an agent of biocontrol against Cirsium arvense , which is a malicious weed in grassland, especially during the change from intensive to extensive management (ecological cropping systems may also increase the incidence of this weed). On its own, P. punctiformis does not contain the host, but studies have shown that populations of the host can decline by 95% when the rosette weevil, Hadroplontus [ Ceutorhynchus ] litura , is also present. The effectiveness is, however, questionable because rhizomes of creeping thistle grow faster than the fungus can pervade them. HOSTS: Cirsium arvense, C. incanum ( Compositae ). GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: NORTH AMERICA: Canada (British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec, rare in the prairies), USA (California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin). ASIA: Afganistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Georgia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Russia (East Siberia, Omsk, Primorski krai), Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. AUSTRALASIA: Australia, New Zealand. EUROPE: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia (Bashkir Republic, Ivanovo, Karelia Republic, Kursk, Leningrad, Moscow, Nizhni Novgorod, Rostov, Samara, Saratov, Tatar Republic, Tver, Volgograd, Voronezh, Vyatka, Yekaterinburg), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine. TRANSMISSION: The mycelium survives in rhizomes of the infected plant and the next spring spreads up causing systemic infection of the new season's leaves and stems; urediniospores are disseminated by air currents; teliospores hibernate in the dead tissue of the host plant and then germinate to produce basidia with basidiospores, which re-infect the host plants.

Pityriasis rotunda is an uncommon dermatosis with an unusual geographic and racial distribution. The skin disorder is characterized by sharply defined, perfectly circular, scaly patches with no inflammatory changes. Notably, it may be associated with underlying malignancy or chronic infection. We report an uncommon familial case in an American-born female.

Conservation of migratory species

The Chinese bamboo leaf odorous frog ( Rana ( Odorrana) versabilis) and North American Rana frogs share the same families of skin antimicrobial peptides