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Purpose: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) targeted biopsy has emerged as an augmentation to systematic prostate biopsy (SBx) with improved diagnostic accuracy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether biopsy modality impacted management of prostate cancer (PCa)., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients with newly diagnosed non-metastatic PCa at our institution (2014-2020). Either ultrasound-guided 12-core SBx or SBx plus ≥1targeted biopsy cores from identifiable lesions on mpMRI were performed. Patients were managed with active surveillance (AS), radiation therapy (RT), or radical prostatectomy (RP). Multivariate logistic and multinomial regression analyses were performed., Results: Of 578 patients, 221(38%) proceeded with AS, 121(21%) received RT, and 236(41%) underwent RP. Median age and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were 65.4 years and 7.2 ng/mL, respectively. On multivariate analysis, biopsy type did not predict decision to pursue treatment ( p =.951). On multinomial regression analysis, biopsy type did not predict selection of AS over RP ( p =.973) or RT over RP ( p =.813). Alternatively, age, grade group, and PSA were significant predictors of management selection., Conclusions: Biopsy technique did not impact management for patients with new PCa diagnosis. Despite paradigm shifts in obtaining tissue diagnosis, age, PSA, and grade group remain valuable indices for shared decision-making and counseling patients with PCa.

High-power holmium lasers have become popular for ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy and dusting. Our aim was to investigate the effect of pulse duration and pulse energy on fiber-tip degradation when using high-power settings for popcorn lithotripsy. BegoStones were fragmented in a glass bulb to simulate renal calyx, using a 120 W Ho:YAG laser. A 242 μm fiber was placed via the ureteroscope 2 mm distance from stones (popcorn model). To assess the effect of pulse duration on fiber-tip degradation, long pulse (LP) and short pulse (SP) settings were compared at settings of 1.0Jx20Hz (20 W), 0.5Jx70Hz (35 W), and 1.0Jx40Hz (40 W). To assess the effect of pulse energy on tip degradation, 40 W SP settings (0.5Jx80Hz, 0.8Jx50Hz, and 1.0Jx40Hz) were tested. Pulse duration was measured using a photodetector and peak power was then calculated using the pulse duration and pulse energy. Experiments were conducted for 4 min. Fiber-tip length was measured before and after using a digital caliper. Fiber-tip degradation was least when using LP for all settings tested (p < 0.01). For 40 W settings, tip degradation was significantly lower when using a pulse energy of 0.5 J compared to 0.8 J or 1.0 J (p < 0.004). LP mode results in less fiber burnback for all power settings tested. Total power is more important than frequency in the development of burnback. However, high-power 40 W settings can be utilized with less burnback if lower pulse energies are used. Understanding these parameters can improve the longevity of the laser fiber and improve procedural efficiency., (© 2021. Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: There are limited data on how stone factors relate to flexible ureteroscopy (f-URS) laser lithotripsy efficiency and outcomes when using the Moses Technology Ho:YAG system. We examined the relationship of stone volume and density to lithotripsy, lasing times, and energy used to treat a single renal stone. We also assessed short-term clinical outcomes. Methods: We analyzed patients undergoing f-URS by a single surgeon using high-power Moses Technology Ho:YAG system (Lumenis). We only included cases with a CT confirming a solitary renal stone. Ureteral stones, staged and bilateral procedures were excluded. Stone dimensions and HU were obtained. Volume (mm 3 ) was calculated using European Association of Urology criteria. Laser energy (J), lithotripsy, and lasing times were obtained. Laser activity was calculated by dividing lasing time by lithotripsy time. Relationships between time, stone density, volume, and energy were assessed using Spearman correlation. Complications were assessed using Clavien-Dindo grade. Residual fragments (RF) were determined on imaging within 3 months. Results: Twenty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria. Mean (range) stone volume and density were 290 mm 3 (42-1700) and 814 HU (170-1675), respectively. Mean lithotripsy and lasing times were 11.9 (3.6-26.0) and 6.0 (0.6-19.6) minutes, respectively. Mean laser activity was 47%. Mean fragmentation speed was 0.9 mm 3 /s. Mean energy used per unit stone volume was 38.2 J/mm 3 . Time taken to perform fragmentation had a stronger association with the stone volume vs stone density. Three (10.3%) and 2 (6.9%) patients had a Clavien Grade 1 and 2 complications, respectively. At follow-up the zero-fragment rate was 79.3%. Conclusions: When using the Moses Technology laser to ablate a single renal stone with f-URS, the fragmentation speed was ∼1 mm 3 /s. Stone volume, not density was correlated to lasing time. We propose mm 3 /s be considered a measure that has implications for technique efficiency and comparing laser platforms.

There are particular challenges in defining the taxonomic status of recently radiated groups due to the low level of phylogenetic signal. Members of the Salmo trutta species-complex, which mostly evolved during and following the Pleistocene, show high morphological and ecological diversity that, along with their very wide geographic distribution, have led to morphological description of 47 extant nominal species. However, many of these species have not been supported by previous phylogenetic studies, which could be partly due to lack of significant genetic differences among them, the limited resolution offered by molecular methods previously used, as well as the often local scale of these studies. The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and related analytical tools have enhanced our ability to address such challenging questions. In this study, Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) of 15,169 filtered SNPs and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences were combined to assess the phylogenetic relationships among 166 brown trouts representing 21 described species and three undescribed groups collected from 84 localities throughout their natural distribution in Europe, west Asia, and North Africa. The data were analysed using different clustering algorithms (admixture analysis and discriminant analysis of principal components-DAPC), a Bayes Factor Delimitation (BFD) test, species tree reconstruction, gene flow tests (three- and four-population tests), and Rogue taxa identification tests. Genomic contributions of the Atlantic lineage brown trout were found in all major sea basins excluding the North African and Aral Sea basins, suggesting introgressive hybridization of native brown trouts driven by stocking using strains of the Atlantic lineage. After removing the phylogenetic noise caused by the Atlantic brown trout, admixture clusters and DAPC clustering based on GBS data, respectively, resolved 11 and 13 clusters among the previously described brown trout species, which were also supported by BFD test results. Our results suggest that natural hybridization between different brown trout lineages has probably played an important role in the origin of several of the putative species, including S. marmoratus, S. carpio, S. farioides, S. pellegrini, S. caspius (in the Kura River drainage) and Salmo sp. in the Danube River basin. Overall, our results support a multi-species taxonomy for brown trouts. They also resolve some species in the Adriatic-Mediterranean and Black Sea drainages as members of very closely related genomic clusters that may need taxonomic revision. However, any final conclusions pertaining to the taxonomy of the brown trout complex should be based on an integrative approach combining genomic, morphological, and ecological data. To avoid challenges in taxonomy and conservation of species complexes like brown trouts, it is suggested to describe species based on genomic clusters of populations instead of describing species based only on morphologically differentiated single type populations., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The phenomenon of a massive vertebral deformity was recorded in the radiating Labeobarbus assemblage from the middle reaches of the Genale River (south-eastern Ethiopia, East Africa). Within this sympatric assemblage, five trophic morphs-generalized, lipped, piscivorous and two scraping feeders-were reported between 1993 and 2019. In 2009, a new morph with prevalence of ~10% was discovered. The new morph, termed 'short', had an abnormally shortened vertebral column and a significantly deeper body. This type of deformity is common in farmed Atlantic salmon and other artificially reared fish, but is rare in nature. In the Genale Labeobarbus assemblage, the deformity was present exclusively within the generalized and lipped morphs. The short morph had between seven and 36 deformed (compressed and/or fused) vertebrae. Their body depth was positively correlated with number of deformed vertebrae. In another collection in 2019, the short morph was still present at a frequency of 11%. Various environmental and genetic factors could contribute to the development of this deformity in the Genale Labeobarbus, but based on the available data, it is impossible to confidently identify the key factor(s). Whether the result of genetics, the environment, or both, this deep-bodied phenotype is assumed to be an anti-predator adaptation, as there is evidence of its selective advantage in the generalized morph. The Genale monstrosity is the first reported case of a massive deformity of the vertebral column in a natural population of African fishes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Multiple repeated patterns of adaptive radiation were revealed in cyprinid fish inhabiting the compact geographic region of the Ethiopian Highlands. We found four independently evolved radiations in the evolutionary hexaploid (2n = 150) Labeobarbus lineage based on matrilineal relationships of >800 individuals. Each radiation displayed similar patterns of mouth phenotype diversification, and included ecomorphs/species of the generalized, lipped, scraping (one or two), and large-mouthed (one to three) types. All radiations were detected in geographically isolated rivers, and originated from different ancestral populations. This is the first documented case in which numerous parallel radiations of fishes occurred-via different ways-in a riverine environment. Some radiations are very recent and monophyletic, while others are older and include ecomorphs that originated in separate mini flocks and later combined into one. The diversification bursts among Ethiopian Labeobarbus were detected in the mid-upper reaches of rivers (1050-1550 m above sea level), which likely offer ecological opportunities that include diverse habitats yet poor fauna (i.e. lower competition and relaxed selection). This promising example of parallel evolution of adaptive radiation warrants further investigation.

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of six species of Caucasian barbels, the genus Barbus s. str., were studied based on extended geographic coverage and using mtDNA and nDNA markers. Based on 27 species studied, matrilineal phylogeny of the genus Barbus is composed of two clades - (a) West European clade, (b) Central and East European clade. The latter comprises two subclades: (b1) Balkanian subclade, and (b2) Ponto-Caspian one that includes 11 lineages mainly from Black and Caspian Sea drainages. Caucasian barbels are not monophyletic and subdivided for two groups. The Black Sea group encompasses species from tributaries of Black Sea including re-erected B. rionicus and excluding B. kubanicus. The Caspian group includes B. ciscaucasicus, B. cyri (with B. goktschaicus that might be synonymized with B. cyri), B. lacerta from the Tigris-Euphrates basin and B. kubanicus from the Kuban basin. Genetic structure of Black Sea barbels was influenced by glaciation-deglaciation periods accompanying by freshwater phases, periods of migration and colonization of Black Sea tributaries. Intra- and intergeneric hybridization among Caucasian barbines was revealed. In the present study, we report about finding of B. tauricus in the Kuban basin, where only B. kubanicus was thought to inhabit. Hybrids between these species were detected based on both mtDNA and nDNA markers. Remarkably, Kuban population of B. tauricus is distant to closely located conspecific populations and we consider it as relic. We highlight revealing the intergeneric hybridization between evolutionary tetraploid (2n = 100) B. goktschaicus and evolutionary hexaploid (2n = 150) Capoeta sevangi in Lake Sevan., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Among cathinone drugs known as bath salts, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) exerts its potent actions via the dopamine (DA) system, and at intoxicating doses may produce adverse behavioral effects. Previous work by our group suggests that prolonged alterations in correlated neural activity between cortical and striatal areas could underlie, at least in part, the adverse reactions to this bath salt drug. In the present study, we assessed the effect of acute MDPV administration on brain functional connectivity at 1 and 24 h in rats. Using graph theory metrics to assess in vivo brain functional network organization we observed that 24 h after MDPV administration there was an increased clustering coefficient, rich club index, and average path length. Increases in these metrics suggests that MDPV produces a prolonged pattern of correlated activity characterized by greater interactions between subsets of high degree nodes but a reduced interaction with regions outside this core subset. Further analysis revealed that the core set of nodes include prefrontal cortical, amygdala, hypothalamic, somatosensory and striatal areas. At the molecular level, MDPV downregulated the dopamine transporter (DAT) in striatum and produced a shift in its subcellular distribution, an effect likely to involve rapid internalization at the membrane. These new findings suggest that potent binding of MDPV to DAT may trigger internalization and a prolonged alteration in homeostatic regulation of DA and functional brain network reorganization. We propose that the observed MDPV-induced network reorganization and DAergic changes may contribute to previously reported adverse behavioral responses to MDPV., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The two complete mitochondrial genomes of endangered form of the Sevan trout Salmo ischchan aestivalis are published in this paper. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is 16,677 base pairs (bp) in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes. The overall base composition of the genome in descending order was 29.4% - C, 27.9% - A, 26.0% - T, 16.7% - G, without a significant AT bias of 53.9%., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

The three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus is an important model for studying microevolution and parallel adaptation to freshwater environments. Marine and freshwater forms differ markedly in their phenotype, especially in the number of lateral plates, which are serially repeated elements of the exoskeleton. In fishes, thyroid hormones are involved in adaptation to salinity, as well as the developmental regulation of serially repeated elements. To study how thyroid hormones influence lateral plate development, we manipulated levels of triiodothyronine and thiourea during early ontogeny in a marine and freshwater population with complete and low plate phenotypes, respectively. The development of lateral plates along the body and keel was heterochronic among experimental groups. Fish with a low dosage of exogenous triiodothyronine and those treated with thiourea exhibited retarded development of bony plates compared to both control fish and those treated with higher a triiodothyronine dosage. Several triiodothyronine-treated individuals of the marine form expressed the partial lateral plate phenotype. Some individuals with delayed development of lateral plates manifested 1-2 extra bony plates located above the main row of lateral plates.

Spirlins of the genus Alburnoides are widespread fishes, which taxonomy has been rapidly developing in recent years. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was used as DNA barcode marker to create a reference dataset of Caucasian Alburnoides and to test its barcoding efficiency. All four previously known Caucasian species of Alburnoides were confirmed as valid species with high genetic distances to sister species as well confirmed as Caucasian endemics. Alburnoides samiii, previously known from Sefidroud basin (Iran), was discovered in Transcaucasia. The accuracy of species identification of Ponto-Caspian Alburnoides by DNA barcodes was 100%. In addition, one potentially new species within A. gmelini was revealed. Despite the limited ability of COI to infer phylogenetic relationships, study provided evidence that Ponto-Caspian lineage of Alburnoides includes significantly larger number of species from Caspian Sea basin and inland basins of Central Asia.

The mitochondrial genomes from two individuals of the extinct subspecies of the Sevan trout Salmo ischchan danilewskii are published in this paper. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is 16,665 base pairs (bp) in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes. The overall base composition of the genome in descending order was 27.9% of A, 29.4% of C, 16.7% of G, and 26.0% of T without a significant AT bias of 53.9%., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article., (© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Exostoma oschanini, presently treated as a junior synonym of Glyptosternon reticulatum, is revalidated within Glyptosternon based on a phylogenetic analysis of the CO1 gene and morphological characters. Glyptosternon oschanini is known to occur in tributaries of the Syr Darya River in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and may also occur in the Amu Darya River drainage. A morphological diagnosis and description are provided for G. oschanini. Exostoma gracile is a junior synonym of G. oschanini rather than of G. reticulatum.

A pronounced pleiotropic effect of thyroid hormones on the regulation of gene expression in fish in postembryogenesis was demonstrated for the first time using larvae and juveniles of the blue bream Ballerus ballerus as an example. Genome-wide transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) identified 1212 differentially expressed genes in the brain and liver of fish kept in triiodothyronine solution (0.25 ng/mL). Our data show that the regulation of gene expression by thyroid hormones is widespread in nature: it involves not only the structural genes but also the regulatory genes. A significant number of genes under the control of thyroid hormones are involved in the determination of morphological traits.

The activity of hydrolases (maltase, saccharase, amylolytic activity) in the intestinal mucosa of the plankton-feeding zope Ballerus ballerus and the benthos-feeding white-eye bream Ballerus sapa was investigated. The temperature characteristics of maltase hydrolysis (T(opt) and E(act)) are similar in both species. The lower K(m) of maltase hydrolysis in the white-eye bream reflects a higher enzyme/substrate affinity and indicates a more effective carbohydrate hydrolysis in the benthos-versus plankton-feeding species. The glycosidase activity in the white-eye bream is twice as high as in the zope. This may be due not only to different feeding spectra and biochemical food contents but also to the differences in thyroid status of species under consideration.

The cyprinid tribe Labeonini (sensuRainboth, 1991) is a large group of freshwater fishes containing around 40 genera and 400 species. They are characterized by an amazing diversity of modifications to their lips and associated structures. In this study, a total of 34 genera and 142 species of putative members of this tribe, which represent most of the generic diversity and more than one third of the species diversity of the group, were sampled and sequenced for four nuclear genes and five mitochondrial genes (totaling 9465bp). Phylogenetic relationships and subdivision of this tribe were investigated and the placement and status of most genera are discussed. Partitioned maximum likelihood analyses were performed based on the nuclear dataset, mitochondrial dataset, combined dataset, and the dataset for each nuclear gene. Inclusion of the genera Paracrossochilus, Barbichthys, Thynnichthys, and Linichthys in the Labeonini was either confirmed or proposed for the first time. None of the genera Labeo, Garra, Bangana, Cirrhinus, and Crossocheilus are monophyletic. Taxonomic revisions of some genera were made: the generic names Gymnostomus Heckel, 1843, Ageneiogarra Garman, 1912 and Gonorhynchus McClelland, 1839 were revalidated; Akrokolioplax Zhang and Kottelat, 2006 becomes a junior synonym of Gonorhynchus; the species Osteochilus nashii was found to be a member of the barbin genus Osteochilichthys. Five historical hypotheses on the classification of the Labeonini were tested and rejected. We proposed to subdivide the tribe, which is strongly supported as monophyletic, into four subtribes: Labeoina, Garraina, Osteochilina, and Semilabeoina. The taxa included in each subtribe were listed and those taxa that need taxonomic revision were discussed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We reconstructed the matrilineal phylogeny of Asian algae-eating fishes of the genus Capoeta based on complete mitochondrial gene for cytochrome b sequences obtained from 20 species sampled from the majority of the range and 44 species of closely related barbs of the genera Barbus s. str. and Luciobarbus. The results of this study show that Capoeta forms a strongly supported monophyletic subclade nested within the Luciobarbus clade, suggesting that specialized scraping morphology appeared once in the evolutionary history of the genus. We detected three main groups of Capoeta: the Mesopotamian group, which includes three species from the Tigris-Euphrates system and adjacent water bodies, the Anatolian-Iranian group, which has the most diversified structure and encompasses many species distributed throughout Anatolian and Iranian inland waters, and the Aralo-Caspian group, which consists of species distributed in basins of the Caspian and Aral Seas, including many dead-end rivers in Central Asia and Northern Iran. The most probable origination pathway of the genus Capoeta is hypothesized to occur as a result of allopolyploidization. The origin of Capoeta was found around the Langhian-Serravallian boundary according to our molecular clock. The diversification within the genus occurred along Middle Miocene-Late Pliocene periods., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fish scale cover forms in late ontogenesis. Therefore, the conditions of development significantly affect its characteristics (number of scales). This study is aimed at considering the influence of external and internal factors on variation of the number of scales in fish. Acceleration of development results in decrease of the number of scales, while it increases with deceleration. Experiments on regulation of thyroid status of fish showed that the certain mechanism of alteration of the number of scales is related with heterochrony, such as a shift of the laying period of scale cover. Accelerated development is caused by early scale development at smaller body length, while decelerated development is characterized with later scale development and greater body length. Data considering heterochrony as the possible reason for deviations in the number of scales in related fish species are represented. Moreover, alterations of the distance between scales (morphogenetic calculation) can serve as another alteration mechanism of the number of scales in fish (especially phyletically far species).

An experiment on acceleration and retardation of ontogenesis with thyroid manipulation has revealed direct changes in definitive dentition of pharyngeal bones in Abramis brama bream. As development pace accelerates, the number of teeth reduces to the formula 5-4. When development pace slows down, this number increases to the formula 6-5. Moreover, an additional minor row of teeth (1.6-5.1, 2.6-5.2) is formed. The observed changes transcend typical changes happening in nature. It is assumed that heterochronies provoke changes in the number of teeth.