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Cuchet I, Dambrun M, Bedhomme S, Savanovitch C, Roussel HV, Maneval A. The roles of French community pharmacists in palliative home care. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:79. [PMID: 38519944 PMCID: PMC10960433 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01406-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The World Health Organization identifies pharmacists as a key resource in palliative care. However, the roles of these professionals in end-of-life care at home remain poorly understood, and community pharmacists themselves sometimes struggle to recognize their true role in this care. The aim of our study was to analyze community pharmacists' representations of their roles in palliative care at home in France. METHODS The methodology was qualitative and based on semi-structured interviews with community pharmacists (n = 26). The analysis of the interviews was carried out using a qualitative content approach with thematic and lexical analysis. RESULTS Three main elements of the community pharmacist's role were identified: drug expertise, care management, and psychosocial support for patients and their families. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights a wide variety of roles adopted by French community pharmacists in palliative care at home. Some of these roles, which are in line with WHO recommendations on palliative care, have been little described to date. These roles of community pharmacists in home-based palliative care could be better recognized, and the players better integrated into end-of-life care systems at home, in order to improve such care. TRIAL REGISTRATION This work was carried out within the framework of a call for projects from the Fondation de France and has received the approval of the University Clermont Auvergne Research Ethics Committee (no. IRB00011540-2021-60).
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Cuchet
- Laboratory of Social and Cognitive Psychology (LAPSCO) (LAPSCO), UMR CNRS 6024, University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France.
- UR ACCePPT, University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France.
| | - Michael Dambrun
- Laboratory of Social and Cognitive Psychology (LAPSCO) (LAPSCO), UMR CNRS 6024, University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France
| | - Sabrina Bedhomme
- UR ACCePPT, University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France
| | | | | | - Axelle Maneval
- UR ACCePPT, University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France
- CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Palliative Care Unit, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Bedhomme S, Vaillant-Roussel H, Vorilhon P, Lafarge E, Pereton B, Prunet-Spano C, Pereira B, Vennat B, Savanovitch C. Pediatric pharmaceutical interventions in self-medication: a descriptive study in community pharmacies. BMC Prim Care 2023; 24:232. [PMID: 37932731 PMCID: PMC10626637 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-023-02180-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The practice of self-medication is common but not without risk, especially for vulnerable populations such as the pediatric population. Community pharmacists have an important role of vigilance in dispensing drugs available without a medical prescription, with the possibility of carrying out a Pharmaceutical Intervention (PI) if necessary. The aim of our study was to characterize the Pediatric Pharmaceutical Interventions (PPIs) in self-medication carried out during a spontaneous request for a drug at the community pharmacy. METHODS We conducted a descriptive study in 139 pharmacies in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (France). Data were collected from students under the supervision of internship masters in the pharmacy, using the validated GIPAMED (GrId for PhArmaceutical Self-MEDication interventions) notification grid, the first week of each month, from February to May for five years (2017 to 2021). Collected data were entered on a secure university platform. RESULTS Of the 3,552 PIs collected, 8,3% (n = 286) were PPIs. Of these PPIs, 35% (n = 100) was generated by requests for optional prescription drugs contraindicated by the pathophysiological condition, 28.3% for drugs requiring a prescription and 20.6% for over the counter drugs not indicated by the symptomatology. Finally, 10% of requests required a referral for a medical consultation. Four Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classes accounted for more than 90% of the requests: respiratory system (39.5%), alimentary tract and metabolism (19.2%), nervous system (11.5%), and musculoskeletal system (10.8%). The most common drugs generating PPIs were: ibuprofen, oxomemazine and combination camphor/essential oils, mainly due to age-related or weight-related contraindication. Paracetamol also generated PPIs frequently, mainly due to problems with drug compliance and more precise infra-therapeutic doses. When these PPIs were dispensed, the pharmacist's proposed solutions were accepted in 94.8% (n = 271) of the cases. CONCLUSIONS The community pharmacist has an important role in providing information about medicines and their correct use to patients. Our research shows that this attention benefits vulnerable populations, such as children, even for drugs that are widely used (e.g. paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or active substances for which there are age-related or weight-related contraindications (e.g. antitussives, camphor combinations).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Bedhomme
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Hélène Vaillant-Roussel
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Department of General Practice, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- DRCI, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Philippe Vorilhon
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Department of General Practice, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Elodie Lafarge
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Bénédicte Pereton
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Céline Prunet-Spano
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- ISPB (Institut des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques), Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - Bruno Pereira
- DRCI, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Brigitte Vennat
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Chantal Savanovitch
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Research Unit ACCePPT, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Maraud J, Bedhomme S, Pereira B, Trévis S, Jary M, Balayssac D. Self-Medication during and after Cancer: A French Nation-Wide Cross-Sectional Study. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3190. [PMID: 37370800 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15123190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Little data are available in Western countries regarding self-medication practices in the context of cancer. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of self-medication practices during (cancer patients) and after cancer (cancer survivors). (2) Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional, and online study was designed to assess self-medication prevalence. Other objectives were explored, notably the medication types, the perceived risks, and the relation with symptoms and quality of life. (3) Results: Among the 518 patients analyzed, 56.4% declared they practiced self-medication. Dietary supplements and pain medications were used by more than half of the patients. Self-medication was practiced in order to manage the adverse effects of anticancer therapies (63.8%), for which pain was the leading indication (39%), and to improve the efficacy of anticancer therapies (43.8%, cancer patients). Patients believed that self-medication could not lead to drug interactions with anticancer therapies (84.9%, cancer patients), or to adverse effects (84.6%, cancer patients and survivors). Self-medication practices were associated with altered social functioning, pain, insomnia, and financial difficulties. (4) Conclusions: Self-medication was performed by more than half of the responders (ongoing or past cancer) and could be a marker of the undermanagement of cancer and treatment-related adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Maraud
- UFR de Pharmacie, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Sabrina Bedhomme
- UR ACCePPT, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Bruno Pereira
- Direction de la Recherche Clinique et de l'Innovation, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Sophie Trévis
- Pharmacie, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Marine Jary
- Chirurgie et Oncologie Digestive, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - David Balayssac
- UMR1107, NEURO-DOL, INSERM, Direction de la Recherche Clinique et de l'Innovation, Université Clermont Auvergne, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Charuel E, Menini T, Bedhomme S, Pereira B, Piñol‐Domenech N, Bouchant S, Boussageon R, Bœuf‐Gibot S, Vaillant‐Roussel H. Benefits and adverse effects of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with chronic heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pharmacol Res Perspect 2021; 9:e00844. [PMID: 34617669 PMCID: PMC8495680 DOI: 10.1002/prp2.844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review aims to assess the benefits and adverse effects of sacubitril/valsartan in heart failure, with a focus on important patient outcomes. A systematic review was conducted of double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing sacubitril/valsartan versus a reference drug, in heart failure patients with reduced (HFrEF) and preserved (HFpEF) ejection fraction, published in French or English. Searches were undertaken of Medline, Cochrane Central, and Embase. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and adverse events. From 2 082 articles analyzed, 5 were included. For all-cause mortality, the absolute numbers for HFrEF (2 RCTs, 4627 patients) were 16% on sacubitril/valsartan and 18% on enalapril, with a risk ratio (RR) of 0.85 [CI = 0.78, 0.93], and 13% vs 14% in with HFpEF (2 RCTs, 5097 patients), with no statistical difference. Under the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, the evidence for HFrEF patients was of moderate quality. For HFrEF patients, an increased risk of symptomatic hypotension and angioedema (low quality of evidence) was shown. There was no statistical difference for the risk of hyperkalemia or worsening renal function. There was a protective RR (0.50 [0.34, 0.75]) for worsening renal function for patients with HFpEF, with a high quality of evidence despite similar absolute numbers (1.4% vs. 2.8%). To keep in mind for shared decision-making, sacubitril/valsartan reduces all-cause mortality in HFrEF patients but for HFpEF further data are needed. Take into consideration the small number of studies to date to assess the risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Charuel
- Department of General PracticeClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
- Research Unit ACCePPTClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
| | - Thibault Menini
- Department of General PracticeClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
- Research Unit ACCePPTClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
| | - Sabrina Bedhomme
- Research Unit ACCePPTClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
- Pharmacy FacultyClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
| | - Bruno Pereira
- Clermont‐Ferrand University HospitalBiostatistics Unit (DRCI)Clermont‐FerrandFrance
| | | | - Suzy Bouchant
- Department of General PracticeClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
| | | | - Sylvaine Bœuf‐Gibot
- Department of General PracticeClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
| | - Helene Vaillant‐Roussel
- Department of General PracticeClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
- Research Unit ACCePPTClermont Auvergne UniversityClermont‐FerrandFrance
- Clermont‐Ferrand University HospitalBiostatistics Unit (DRCI)Clermont‐FerrandFrance
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Savanovitch C, Bedhomme S, Van Lander A, Prunet-Spano C, Vennat B. [IPADAM quali study. Intervention of the Pharmacist in the Issue of Self-medication: Experience of pharmacy team focus groups and patients' perceptions]. Ann Pharm Fr 2018; 76:399-407. [PMID: 29801716 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharma.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study had two main aims: (i) document the experience of community pharmacists receiving a spontaneous request for ibuprofen and oral pseudoephedrine, and their use of pharmaceutical records, and (ii) explore patients' perceptions of pharmaceutical records and pharmaceutical interventions. METHODS The study was conducted over two weeks between February and April 2014 in 482 community pharmacies and 8 French faculties of pharmacy. It was based on data collected by pharmacy team focus groups during patient telephone interviews using standardized question grids. Textual and thematic analyses were made of the patient responses. RESULTS Four pharmacy team focus groups carried out 49 telephone interviews. Examination of the practice of the groups showed that pharmaceutical interventions, although incompletely registered, are performed on a daily basis and enhance the value of the pharmacist's function. Analysis of the telephone interviews also showed the importance of the advisory role of the pharmacist in dispensing an optional medical prescription. The thematic analysis of the results identified a positive response of patients to pharmaceutical interventions if made by their regular pharmacist and accompanied by explanatory information. The focus groups and patients agreed that pharmaceutical records were not consulted often enough. CONCLUSION This study underlines the need for greater safety in the use of optional medical prescription drugs. Promoting responsible self-medication in compliance with proper use should include systematic reference to a PR and informed dialogue with the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Savanovitch
- UPU ACCePPT, université Clermont-Auvergne, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - S Bedhomme
- UPU ACCePPT, université Clermont-Auvergne, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - A Van Lander
- UPU ACCePPT, université Clermont-Auvergne, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - C Prunet-Spano
- UPU ACCePPT, université Clermont-Auvergne, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - B Vennat
- UPU ACCePPT, université Clermont-Auvergne, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Bedhomme S, Perez Pantoja D, Bravo IG. Plasmid and clonal interference during post horizontal gene transfer evolution. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:1832-1847. [PMID: 28206693 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Revised: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Plasmids are nucleic acid molecules that can drive their own replication in a living cell. They can be transmitted horizontally and can thrive in the host cell to high-copy numbers. Plasmid replication and gene expression consume cellular resources and cells carrying plasmids incur fitness costs. But many plasmids carry genes that can be beneficial under certain conditions, allowing the cell to endure in the presence of antibiotics, toxins, competitors or parasites. Horizontal transfer of plasmid-encoded genes can thus instantaneously confer differential adaptation to local or transient selection conditions. This conflict between cellular fitness and plasmid spread sets the scene for multilevel selection processes. We have engineered a system to study the short-term evolutionary impact of different synonymous versions of a plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance gene. Applying experimental evolution under different selection conditions and deep sequencing allowed us to show rapid local adaptation to the presence of antibiotic and to the specific version of the resistance gene transferred. We describe the presence of clonal interference at two different levels: at the within-cell level, because a single cell can carry several plasmids, and at the between-cell level, because a bacterial population may contain several clones carrying different plasmids and displaying different fitness in the presence/absence of antibiotic. Understanding the within-cell and between-cell dynamics of plasmids after horizontal gene transfer is essential to unravel the dense network of mobile elements underlying the worldwide threat to public health of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Bedhomme
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR CNRS 5175, 34293, Montpellier, France.,Laboratory MIVEGEC, UMR CNRS 5290, IRD 224, UM, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP64501, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - D Perez Pantoja
- Programa Institucional de Fomento a la Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, Ignacio Valdivieso 2409, P.O. Box 8940577, San Joaquín, Santiago, Chile
| | - I G Bravo
- Laboratory MIVEGEC, UMR CNRS 5290, IRD 224, UM, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP64501, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 05, France
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Bedhomme S, Lafforgue G, Elena SF. Multihost Experimental Evolution of a Plant RNA Virus Reveals Local Adaptation and Host-Specific Mutations. Mol Biol Evol 2011; 29:1481-92. [DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
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Abstract
Intralocus sexual conflict occurs when opposing selection pressures operate on loci expressed in both sexes, constraining the evolution of sexual dimorphism and displacing one or both sexes from their optimum. We eliminated intralocus conflict in Drosophila melanogaster by limiting transmission of all major chromosomes to males, thereby allowing them to win the intersexual tug-of-war. Here, we show that this male-limited (ML) evolution treatment led to the evolution (in both sexes) of masculinized wing morphology, body size, growth rate, wing loading, and allometry. In addition to more male-like size and shape, ML evolution resulted in an increase in developmental stability for males. However, females expressing ML chromosomes were less developmentally stable, suggesting that being ontogenetically more male-like was disruptive to development. We suggest that sexual selection over size and shape of the imago may therefore explain the persistence of substantial genetic variation in these characters and the ontogenetic processes underlying them.
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Affiliation(s)
- J K Abbott
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Amoros-Moya D, Bedhomme S, Hermann M, Bravo IG. Evolution in Regulatory Regions Rapidly Compensates the Cost of Nonoptimal Codon Usage. Mol Biol Evol 2010; 27:2141-51. [DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msq103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Rivero A, Agnew P, Bedhomme S, Sidobre C, Michalakis Y. Resource depletion in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected by the microsporidia Vavraia culicis. Parasitology 2007; 134:1355-62. [PMID: 17634157 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182007002703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYParasitic infection is often associated with changes in host life-history traits, such as host development. Many of these life-history changes are ultimately thought to be the result of a depletion or reallocation of the host's resources driven either by the host (to minimize the effects of infection) or by the parasite (to maximize its growth rate). In this paper we investigate the energetic budget of Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae infected by Vavraia culicis, a microsporidian parasite that transmits horizontally between larvae, and which has been previously shown to reduce the probability of pupation of its host. Our results show that infected larvae have significantly less lipids, sugars and glycogen than uninfected larvae. These differences in resources were not due to differences in larval energy intake (feeding rate) or expenditure (metabolic rate). We conclude that the lower energetic resources of infected mosquitoes are the result of the high metabolic demands that microsporidian parasites impose on their hosts. Given the fitness advantages for the parasite of maintaining the host in a larval stage, we discuss whether resource depletion may also be a parasite mechanism to prevent the pupation of the larvae and thus maximize its own transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rivero
- Génetique et Evolution des Maladies Infectieuses (CNRS-IRD UMR 2724), Montpellier 34394, France.
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Affiliation(s)
- N G Prasad
- Department of Biology, Queen's University at Kingston, Biosciences Complex, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
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Prasad NG, Bedhomme S, Day T, Chippindale AK. An evolutionary cost of separate genders revealed by male-limited evolution. Am Nat 2006; 169:29-37. [PMID: 17206582 DOI: 10.1086/509941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2006] [Accepted: 08/28/2006] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Theory predicts that intralocus sexual conflict can constrain the evolution of sexual dimorphism, preventing each sex from independently maximizing its fitness. To test this idea, we limited genome-wide gene expression to males in four replicate Drosophila melanogaster populations, removing female-specific selection. Over 25 generations, male fitness increased markedly, as sexually dimorphic traits evolved in the male direction. When male-evolved genomes were expressed in females, their fitness displayed a nearly symmetrical decrease. These results suggest that intralocus conflict strongly limits sex-specific adaptation, promoting the maintenance of genetic variation for fitness. Populations may carry a heavy genetic load as a result of selection for separate genders.
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Affiliation(s)
- N G Prasad
- Department of Biology, Queen's University at Kingston, Biosciences Complex, 116 Barrie Street, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
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Abstract
As the relationship between a given life-history trait and fitness is not necessarily the same for the two sexes, an 'intersexual ontogenetic conflict' may arise. We analysed the phenotypic reaction to intraspecific larval competition of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, asking: (i) Do both sexes pay the cost of competition with the same life-history traits and are they equal competitors? (ii) Is there a specific cost of competition beyond sharing food resources? We found that competition incurs a specific cost that was expressed differently by the two sexes. Indeed, each sex maintained the more important life-history trait(s) for their fitness (developmental time for males and body weight and size for females) at the expense of other traits, thus minimizing the effects of competition on their fitness. The competition exerted by females was estimated as being more intense, probably linked with the greater importance of body size for their fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Bedhomme
- Centre d'Etudes sur le Polymorphisme des Microorganismes, UMR CNRS-IRD 9926, Montpellier cedex 5, France.
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