The insulin and insulin-like signaling (IIS) network is an important mediator of cellular growth and metabolism in animals, and is sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature and resource availability. The two main hormones of the IIS network, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), are present in all vertebrates, yet little is known regarding the responsiveness of IGF2 in particular to external stimuli in non-mammalian animals. We manipulated diet (low quantity of food or high quantity of food) in adult green anole (Anolis carolinensis) females to test the effect of energetic state on hepatic gene expression of IGF1 and IGF2. The absolute expression of IGF2 in female green anoles is 100X higher than IGF1 regardless of diet treatment, and IGF1 and IGF2 expression interact with post-treatment body mass and treatment, as do the purported housekeeping genes glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2). The Low Diet group showed a negative relationship between body mass and gene expression for all genes, whereas the relationships between body mass and gene expression in the High Diet group were either absent (in the case of IGF1) or positive (for all other genes). After accounting for total change in mass the Low Diet group expressed IGF2, GAPDH and EEF2 at higher levels compared to individuals in the High Diet group of similar ▵ mass. These results illustrate that expression of IGF1 and IGF2, and housekeeping genes are affected by energe­tic status in reptiles.

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Animals exist in dynamic environments that may affect both their own fitness and that of their offspring. Maternal effects might allow mothers to prepare their offspring for the environment in which they will be born via several mechanisms, not all of which are well understood. Resource scarcity and forced resource allocation are two scenarios that could affect maternal investment by altering the amount and type of resources available for investment in offspring, albeit in potentially different ways. We tested the hypothesis that maternal dietary restriction and sprint training have different consequences for the offspring phenotype in an oviparous lizard ( Anolis carolinensis ). To do this, we collected and reared eggs from adult diet‐manipulated females (low‐diet [LD] or high‐diet [HD]) and sprint‐trained females (sprint trained [ST] or untrained [UT]) and measured both egg characteristics and hatchling morphology. ST and LD mothers laid both the fewest and heaviest eggs, and ST, UT, and LD eggs also had significantly longer incubation periods than the HD group. Hatchlings from the diet experiment (LD and HD offspring) were the heaviest overall. Furthermore, both body mass of the mother at oviposition and change in maternal body mass over the course of the experiment had significant and sometimes different effects on egg and offspring phenotypes, highlighting the importance of maternal energetic state to the allocation of maternal resources.

Background: Initiation of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel plays a significant role in the secondary prevention of recurrent acute ischemic events following high risk transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, some patients do not receive the same targeted therapy on discharge and are only maintained on single antiplatelet therapy. Our aim was to identify the variations in single vs dual antiplatelet prescribing practices at the time of discharge within a Stroke Clinical Network consisting of nine stroke centers located in rural, suburban, and urban geographical regions. Methods: The GWTG registry was queried for all patients >18 years old with a TIA or a minor AIS (admission NIHSS ≤5), who were admitted to a single hospital network between January 2018 and December 2021. Demographics collected including age, race, gender, and BMI. Patients on concurrent anticoagulation were excluded. We evaluated antiplatelet discharge practices at the tertiary stroke center vs the entire network, among men vs. women, African Americans (AA) vs whites, age 18-70 vs >70 years, and across BMI. Chi squared and generalized linear models were used to test significant relationships between subgroups. Results: Among 2953 patients with a TIA or minor AIS, the mean age was 67.3 (SD +/- 13.8 years), with 42% >70 years of age. 47.8% were women; 37% were AA and 60% were white. DAPT was prescribed at the time of discharge to 40% of patients overall. Gender was a significant factor with men (43%) more likely to get prescribed DAPT than females (37%) (p=.002). While BMI did not have a lone effect on number of antiplatelets (AP) prescribed, when it was included as a covariate, there was a significant effect on the number of AP prescribed; with the higher the BMI, the less likely patients were to receive DAPT. Differences according to age, race, and effect of whether the patient was discharged from a tertiary center were not significant. Conclusion: We identified underutilization of DAPT following TIA and minor stroke across a health system, especially in women. Targeted intervention to increase DAPT use could lead to reduced rate of short-term stroke recurrence.

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