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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2025

Ancient climate changes and relaxed selection shape cave colonization in North American cavefishes.

Extreme environments serve as natural laboratories for studying evolutionary processes, with caves offering replicated instances of independent colonizations. The timing, mode and genetic underpinnings underlying cave-obligate organismal evolution remain enigmatic. We integrate phylogenomics, fossils, palaeoclimatic modelling and newly sequenced genomes to elucidate the evolutionary history and adaptive processes of cave colonization in the study group, the North American Amblyopsidae fishes. Amblyopsid fishes present a unique system for investigating cave evolution, encompassing surface, facultative cave-dwelling and cave-obligate (troglomorphic) species. Using 1105 exon markers and total-evidence dating, we reconstructed a robust phylogeny that supports the nested position of eyed, facultative cave-dwelling species within blind cavefishes. We identified three independent cave colonizations, dated to the Early Miocene (18.5 Ma), Late Miocene (10.0 Ma) and Pliocene (3.0 Ma). Evolutionary model testing supported a climate-relict hypothesis, suggesting that global cooling trends since the Early-Middle Eocene may have influenced cave colonization. Comparative genomic analyses of 487 candidate genes revealed both relaxed and intensified selection on troglomorphy-related loci. We found more loci under relaxed selection, supporting neutral mutation as a significant mechanism in cave-obligate evolution. Our findings provide empirical support for climate-driven cave colonization and offer insights into the complex interplay of selective pressures in extreme environments.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Multi-omics reveal microbial functional traits and antifungal metabolites associated with lower Pseudogymnoascus destructans loads in bat cave soils.

White-nose syndrome, caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), is a major fungal disease threatening hibernating bats. Cave soils can serve as environmental reservoirs for Pd, yet the microbial and biochemical mechanisms underlying naturally low Pd burdens in some cave environments remain poorly understood. Here, we integrated soil microbiome profiling, metagenomics, metabolomics, multi-omics network analysis, and in vitro validation to investigate the ecological and functional basis of differential Pd loads in hibernating bat caves in Northeast China. The three caves shared cold, humid, and weakly acidic microenvironments, but differed significantly in electrical conductivity, soil water content, nutrient availability, and extracellular enzyme activities. Soil microbial communities showed significant inter-cave variation in composition, diversity, and niche breadth, with stochastic processes contributing substantially to community assembly. Environmental variables, particularly pH and Pd load, were important predictors of microbial community structure. Functional analyses revealed that the low-Pd Gezi Cave was enriched in genes associated with organic carbon degradation, nitrogen input and retention, and secondary metabolism. Metabolomic profiling further identified cave-specific metabolite signatures, among which Biochanin A, 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde, Vanillin, and Arachidonic acid were negatively correlated with Pd loads. Integrated pathway and network analyses showed that differential genes and metabolites jointly mapped to secondary metabolite biosynthesis, aminobenzoate degradation, and flavonoid degradation pathways, forming a microbe-metabolite-functional gene coupling network involving key taxa such as Rhodococcus, Pseudorhodoplanes, and Rhodoplanes. In vitro assays confirmed that 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde, Coumarin, and Vanillin inhibited Pd growth. Structural equation modelling further indicated that environmental heterogeneity was associated with variation in Pd loads through microbial functional attributes and metabolite profiles. These findings suggest that naturally low-Pd cave soils are associated with coordinated environmental filtering, microbial functional specialization, and antifungal metabolite production, providing mechanistic insight into microbial and biochemical constraints on Pd persistence in cave reservoirs.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Pulmonary histoplasmosis associated with exploration of a bat cave.

Approximately 14 days after exploring a limestone cave in northcentral Florida in February 1973, an 18-year-old female developed a respiratory illness with pronounced shortness of breath and cyanosis. The following day, an 18-year-old male presented to the hospital with similar complaints. The association of illness with their recent caving experience prompted further epidemiologic investigation. Twenty-nine members of a church-sponsored youth group explored the implicated cave. Twenty-three of them later became ill with complaints of cough, afternoon fever and sweats, chest discomfort, and dyspnea on exertion. Histoplasmin skin tests were positive in 18 of 24 individuals tested. Serum for complement fixation (CF) was positive in 12 of 26. Testing of area residents revealed a low incidence of skin test and CF positivity (7% and 0%, respectively). That spelunkers are at risk of acquiring pulmonary histoplasmosis has been noted previously; in Florida this has been related to the exploration of caves infested with bats. This is the largest reported outbreak of acute pulmonary histoplasmosis that has been associated with spelunking and further points out that only those individuals who enter the cave are at risk of acquiring the disease, and not those who reside in the surrounding area.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Karyotypic analysis of human cell lines (CaVe and HeLa) by the method of differential staining of chromosomes].

Karyological analysis of CaVe (human stomach cancer) and HeLa cell lines was carried out by means of differential Giemsa staining. In the CaVe cells 12 marker chromosomes were revealed, seven of them similar to those found in our HeLa cell strain. Four markers in our HeLa subline and seven in CaVe cells were similar to those of HeLa sublines described in literature. The authors have arrived at the conclusion that the CaVe line isolated in 1961 was contaminated and now represents a variant of HeLa cell line.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1978

Treatment of advanced Hodgkin's disease with B-CAVE following MOPP failure.

Between March 1973, and December 1976, 22 patients who developed disease progression during or after MOPP therapy were treated with a new combination, B-CAVe (Bleomycin 5 mg/m2 iv days 1, 28, 35; CCNU 100 mg/m2 po day 1; adriamycin 60 mg/m2 iv day 1; and vinblastine 5 mg/m2 iv day 1). Objective responses were achieved in 17 of 22 patients (77%) and 11 of 22 responses were complete (50%). The actuarial survival for all patients is 16.4 months. For complete responders the median is 24 months with 2 complete responders dead without evidence of Hodgkin's Disease. Median relapse free survival for complete responders has not been reached at 35+ months while that for partial responders is 14 months. Significant adriamycin cardiotoxicity was encountered in two patients. There were no life threatening bacterial infections during B-CAVe. Two patients died of Pneumocystis carinii several months after cessation of therapy. B-CAVe is effective in the therapy of advanced Hodgkin's disease after MOPP failure, and this regimen is comparable to other previously reported MOPP salvage combinations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

[Paratrigeminal epidermoid originated in the meckel's cave (author's transl)].

We have reported a case of paratrigeminal epidermoid originated in the Meckel's cave. A 30 years old man was admitted to the department of neurosurgery with chief complaints of continuous right facial pain and numbness of entire right side of the face of three years duration. The positive neurological findings were hypesthesia over the distribution of the right trigeminal nerve, absence of the right corneal reflex and nystagmus on left lateral gaze. Caloric response was absent on the right side, however the audiogram showed normal. Cerebrospinal fluid examination was within normal limit. Electromyography showed giant spike in the right masseter and temporal muscles. Radiogram of the skull revealed a bone-destroying lesion over the medial florr of the right middle fossa involving the apex of the petrous bone (Fig 1). Right carotid angiography showed straightening and forward displacement of C4- C5 portion of the carotid siphon in the lateral view, and vertebral angiography showed displacement of basilar artery to the left side, upward displacement of the right posterior cerebral and superior cerebellar artery in the frontal view (Fig. 2, 3). At the time of operation, an epidermoid was identified in the Meckel's cave and totally removed microsurgically. Small amount of the tumor extending into the posterior fossa was also removed (Fig. 4, 5, 6, 7). Postoperative course was uneventfull except for an episode of headache and high fever of short duration, suggesting the signs of meningial irritation. Two months postoperativelly patient was relived of facial pain and was discharged with sensory impairment of the right trigeminal nerve distribution. Only 11 cases of paratrigeminal epidermoid, including the cases localized in the Meckel's cave have been reported in the past literatures (Table 1). In this paper we have discussed about the symptomatology and clinical data of paratrigeminal epidermoid and compared with those of trigeminal neurinoma, and meningioma originated in the same region. We would like to emphasize that the importance of differentiating the idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia from the paratrigeminal epidermoid, if the initial symptom of this tumor were tic douloureux. The total removal of epidermoid with capsule is essential treatment following the early diagnosis, however the attempt of total removal is sometimes difficult because of the relationship between the origin, size and extension of this kind of tumor to other important brain structures. And if some of the tumor is left behind at the time of operation, cholesterin meningitis is an important complication.

Adult↗
PubMed2026

A pangenome framework uncovers the role of deletions in repeated evolution of cave-derived traits.

Structural variants (SVs) are increasingly recognized as key contributors to adaptive evolution, yet they remain underexplored compared with single-nucleotide variation. To understand how large-scale genomic changes shape repeated evolution, we leveraged multiple levels of sequence data across the powerful evolutionary model system of the Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus). We constructed one of the first pangenome graphs from a naturally evolving vertebrate, enabling comprehensive discovery of SVs among 120 fish from 11 populations. We discover substantial amounts of structural variation and explore the roles of genomic biases and selection in shaping the distribution of these variants. More than 2400 high-confidence cave-specific deletions are enriched in biological pathways involved in vision, metabolism, and behavior and cluster nonrandomly in quantitative trait loci linked to cavefish traits. Additionally, 67 genes harbor unique deletions between independent cavefish lineages. These reused genes show evidence of population-specific selection (99% contain selective sweeps compared with 8%-15% in genes lacking SVs), indicating that deletions likely rose in frequency through repeated positive selection rather than drift. Together, these results reveal that recurrent deletion events have repeatedly contributed to the evolution of cave-adapted phenotypes and highlight deletions as underexplored contributors of adaptive evolution in extreme environments.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum from the air in the Aguas Buenas Caves, Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico.

White mice were used to isolate H. capsulatum from the air in the Aguas Buenas Caves, Puerto Rico. Based on the infection of mice, the ten test sites yielded positive results for the presence of the fungus. Air currents through this cave are believed to be the most important factor responsible for the even distribution of H. capsulatum. Cultural differences concerning spore concentrations were observed. Age and sex of the exposed mice do not seem to play a role in acquiring histoplasmosis.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1979

Photoreactivating enzyme in the blind cave fish, Anoptichthys jordani.

1. Exposure of cells to ultraviolet light induces molecular changes in DNA which may lead to cellular death. 2. One product, pyrimidine dimers, is reversed during subsequent exposure to visible light by photoreactivating enzyme. 3. Photoreactivating enzyme has been recorded in different organisms, but inconsistencies in its distribution suggest it may have other functions. 4. We have found photoreactivating enzyme in the blind cave dwelling fish, Anoptichthys jordani. 5. Sufficient time has elapsed in the cave environment to allow loss of features of importance to epigean fish, including the eyes and pigmentation. 6. The continued presence of the enzyme indicates that it may have other functions.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1976

[Pulmonary autoantibodies in bronchial asthma patients undergoing cave and climate therapy in Bystrá].

Pulmonary autoantibodies were determined by us in the sera of 37 patients who underwent a 6-week speleo- and climatotherapy in the cave of Bystrá. The titres found in both groups of patients showed no difference. Global evaluation revealed a high incidence of pulmonary autoantibodies. We saw a direct relationship between the titre and the degree of severity of the disease or the clinical condition. The demonstration of circulating pulmonary autoantibodies in bronchial asthma is possibly not only of diagnostic value but also of prognostic importance.

Asthma↗
PubMed1975

[Clinical trial of the preparation Caved S in treating peptic ulcer].

The observations upon the therapeutic effect of Caved S preparation are reported, being a combination of deglycyrrhizinated liquorice, alkalizing substances and vagolytic drugs. The clinical trial of the medicine reveals it to be with a quick effect on the subjective complaints good tolerance and no manifested disturbances on water and electrolyte balance. It is suitable for the treatment of patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers. Ulcer niche roentgenologically is healed in 37,5% of the patients with gastric ulcer and in 33% in the patients with duodenal ulcer. Endoscopically, the niche is healed in 25% of the patients with gastric ulcer and in 28,5%--with duodenal ulcer. The medicine is with no effect in cases of gastric callous ulcer, as well as with pyloric stenosis.

Adult↗