The primate remains from Roc de Santa (Late Eocene, NE Spain) revisited: New taxonomic allocation

Publication date: Available online 7 June 2018
Source:Journal of Human Evolution
Author(s): Raef Minwer-Barakat, Judit Marigó, Salvador Moyà-Solà
The scarce primate remains from the late Eocene locality of Roc de Santa (Central Pyrenees, NE Spain) were first documented in 1975. This material included a mandibular fragment with P3-M2 and a maxillary fragment with P³-M³ assigned to Adapis magnus (later transferred to the genus Leptadapis), and an isolated M3 attributed to Necrolemur antiquus. However, these specimens were never described in detail. We have thoroughly studied these specimens, with the exception of the mandibular fragment, which has been lost. The maxillary fragment is much smaller than in Leptadapis magnus and shows clear morphological differences from that species; this specimen is assigned to Microchoerus hookeri. Similarly, the isolated M3 resembles that of M. hookeri in size and morphology, and can therefore be attributed to this taxon. In addition, we describe an upper incisor never reported previously, which can also be allocated to M. hookeri, representing the first description of this tooth for the species. Therefore, we conclude that the previous taxonomic determinations were mistaken and all the available primate specimens from Roc de Santa can be confidently assigned to the species M. hookeri, previously described from the same-age localities of Sossís, Spain, and Eclépens-B, Switzerland.



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New fossils from Tadkeshwar Mine (Gujarat, India) increase primate diversity from the early Eocene Cambay Shale

Publication date: Available online 7 June 2018
Source:Journal of Human Evolution
Author(s): Kenneth D. Rose, Rachel H. Dunn, Kishor Kumar, Jonathan M.G. Perry, Kristen A. Prufrock, Rajendra S. Rana, Thierry Smith
Several new fossil specimens from the Cambay Shale Formation at Tadkeshwar Lignite Mine in Gujarat document the presence of two previously unknown early Eocene primate species from India. A new species of Asiadapis is named based on a jaw fragment preserving premolars similar in morphology to those of A. cambayensis but substantially larger. Also described is an exceptionally preserved edentulous dentary (designated cf. Asiadapis, unnamed sp. nov.) that is slightly larger and much more robust than previously known Cambay Shale primates. Its anatomy most closely resembles that of Eocene adapoids, and the dental formula is the same as in A. cambayensis. A femur and calcaneus are tentatively allocated to the same taxon. Although the dentition is unknown, exquisite preservation of the dentary of cf. Asiadapis sp. nov. enables an assessment of masticatory musculature, function, and gape adaptations, as well as comparison with an equally well-preserved dentary of the asiadapid Marcgodinotius indicus, also from Tadkeshwar. The new M. indicus specimen shows significant gape adaptations but was probably capable of only weak bite force, whereas cf. Asiadapis sp. nov. probably used relatively smaller gapes but could generate relatively greater bite forces.



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Cigarette Smoking Status and Substance Use in Pregnancy

Abstract

Objectives Substance use during pregnancy is a significant public health issue. Prenatal substance use increased in the past decade while prenatal cigarette smoking has remained stable. Co-use of tobacco and other drugs is a concern because of potential additive risks. This study aims to describe the prevalence rates of substance use among pregnant women and examine the association between smoking status (nonsmoker, recent quitter and current smoker) and other drug use. Methods In this cross-sectional study, pregnant women (n = 500) were recruited from two obstetric practices to complete three substance use screeners and have their urine tested for 12 different drug classes, including cannabis, opioids and cocaine. Participants were divided into three groups based on survey responses: nonsmokers, recent quitters (smoked in the month prior to pregnancy but not past month) and current smokers (past-month). Results Approximately 29% of participants reported smoking in the month before pregnancy. During pregnancy, 17, 12 and 71% were current smokers, recent quitters and nonsmokers respectively. Overall prevalence of illicit or prescription drug use in pregnancy was 27%. Cannabis was the most common drug used in pregnancy with prevalence of 22%, followed by opioids (4%), cocaine (1%), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (1%), amphetamines (1%), and benzodiazepines (1%). On multivariable logistic regression, smoking in pregnancy was associated with a positive urine drug screen; with adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.7 (95% CI 2.6–8.3) for current smokers and 1.6 (95% CI 0.8–3.3) for recent quitters. Factors negatively associated with positive drug screen were second and third trimester pregnancies, 0.5 (0.3–0.9) and 0.3 (0.2–0.6) respectively; and employment, 0.5 (0.3–0.8). Conclusions for Practice Co-use of tobacco and illicit drugs, particularly cannabis, is relatively high during pregnancy. Additional research is needed to understand the health implications of co-use versus use of tobacco only. Given the strong association between smoking and other drug use, clinicians should routinely assess for illicit drug use in women who smoke during pregnancy.

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The Effect of Paid Leave on Maternal Mental Health

Abstract

Objectives I examined the relationship between paid maternity leave and maternal mental health among women returning to work within 12 weeks of childbirth, after 12 weeks, and those returning specifically to full-time work within 12 weeks of giving birth. Methods I used data from 3850 women who worked full-time before childbirth from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort. I utilized propensity score matching techniques to address selection bias. Mental health was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD) scale, with high scores indicating greater depressive symptoms. Results Returning to work after giving birth provided psychological benefits to women who used to work full-time before childbirth. The average CESD score of women who returned to work was 0.15 standard deviation (p < 0.01) lower than the average CESD score of all women who worked full-time before giving birth. Shorter leave, on the other hand, was associated with adverse effects on mental health. The average CESD score of women who returned within 12 weeks of giving birth was 0.13 standard deviation higher (p < 0.05) than the average CESD score of all women who rejoined labor market within 9 months of giving birth. However, receipt of paid leave was associated with an improved mental health outcome. Among all women who returned to work within 12 weeks of childbirth, those women who received some paid leave had a 0.17 standard deviation (p < 0.05) lower CESD score than the average CESD score. The result was stronger for women who returned to full-time work within 12 weeks of giving birth, with a 0.32 standard deviation (p < 0.01) lower CESD score than the average CESD score. Conclusions The study revealed that the negative psychological effect of early return to work after giving birth was alleviated when women received paid leave.

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Current Approaches to Cancer Genetic Counseling Services for Spanish-Speaking Patients

Abstract

Barriers to genetic counseling services (GCS) utilization for Spanish-speaking patients (SSP) may include language barriers and limited availability of bilingual genetic counselors (GCs). The sample included GCs who: (1) practice cancer genetic counseling, (2) report a cancer practice setting, and (3) have a US mailing address. We assessed: (1) number of Spanish-speaking GCs, (2) estimated proportion of Hispanic patients, and (3) approaches used to counsel SSP. Of respondents (n = 229), 10% (n = 23) spoke Spanish. A higher proportion of GCs practicing in states with ≥ 25% Hispanics reported speaking Spanish compared to those in states with lower Hispanic populations (p = 0.02). While there was a significantly higher percentage of Spanish-speaking GCs in states with larger Hispanic populations, the absolute number was low and unlikely to meet the needs of patients. There is need to increase availability of GCS for SSPs and to understand the impact of services on patient health outcomes.

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Validation of the diagnostic potential of mtDNA copy number derived from whole genome sequencing

Publication date: Available online 6 June 2018
Source:Journal of Genetics and Genomics
Author(s): Rachel Brockhage, Jesse Slone, Zeqian Ma, Madhuri R. Hegde, C. Alexander Valencia, Taosheng Huang




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Circulating Cytokine/Chemokine Concentrations Respond to Ionizing Radiation Doses but not Radiation Dose Rates: Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor and Interleukin-18

Radiation Research, Volume 189, Issue 6, Page 634-643, June 2018.


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