0000000000610065
AUTHOR
Sandeep Kumar Gupta
Niche filling slows the diversification of Himalayan songbirds.
In Himalayan songbirds, the speciation rate is ultimately set by ecological competition, rather than by the rate of acquisition of reproductive isolation. The beginnings of adaptive radiation and speciation have been widely studied — in Darwin's finches, sticklebacks and cichlid fish, for example — but relatively little is known about what happens next. Specifically, what is the rate-limiting step for the establishment of new species? This seven-year study of the 358 songbird species found on the Himalayan slopes suggests that it is the rates at which new niches are created and occupied that limits diversification, not the rate at which new species form through reproductive isolation. Speci…
Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics in Evaluation of LIXisenatide in Acute Coronary Syndrome, a long-term cardiovascular end point trial of lixisenatide versus placebo
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Furthermore, patients with T2DM and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have a particularly high risk of CV events. The glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, lixisenatide, improves glycemia, but its effects on CV events have not been thoroughly evaluated.METHODS: ELIXA (www.clinicaltrials.gov no. NCT01147250) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter study of lixisenatide in patients with T2DM and a recent ACS event. The primary aim is to evaluate the effects of lixisenatide on CV morbidity and mortality in a population …