Tetanus in the dog: review and a case-report of concurrent tetanus with hiatal hernia

<p/> <p>Tetanus with hiatal hernia was diagnosed in a four-month-old female sheepdog pup. The animal was treated with tetanus antitoxin, antibiotics, fluids and intensive nursing care for three weeks and subsequently made a full recovery.</p

National action plans for antimicrobial resistance and variations in surveillance data platforms

Objective To assess how national antimicrobial susceptibility data used to inform national action plans vary across surveillance platforms. Methods We identified available open-access, supranational, interactive surveillance platforms and cross-checked their data in accordance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Data Quality Assurance: module 1. We compared platform usability and completeness of time-matched data on the antimicrobial susceptibilities of four blood isolate species: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae from WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System, European Centre for Disease Control’s (ECDC’s) network and Pfizer’s Antimicrobial Testing Leadership and Surveillance database. Using Bland–Altman analysis, paired t-tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, we assessed susceptibility data and number of isolate concordances between platforms. Findings Of 71 countries actively submitting data to WHO, 28 also submit to Pfizer’s database; 19 to ECDC; and 16 to all three platforms. Limits of agreement between WHO’s and Pfizer’s platforms for organism–country susceptibility data ranged from −26% to 35%. While mean susceptibilities of WHO’s and ECDC‘s platforms did not differ (bias: 0%, 95% confidence interval: −2 to 2), concordance between organism–country susceptibility was low (limits of agreement −18 to 18%). Significant differences exist in isolate numbers reported between WHO–Pfizer (mean of difference: 674, P-value: < 0.001 and WHO–ECDC (mean of difference: 192, P value: 0.04) platforms. Conclusion The considerable heterogeneity of nationally submitted data to commonly used antimicrobial resistance surveillance platforms compromises their validity, thus undermining local and global antimicrobial resistance strategies. Hence, we need to understand and address surveillance platform variability and its underlying mechanisms

Prevalence of tumor BRCA1 and BRCA2 dysfunction in unselected patients with ovarian cancer

Objective The therapeutic benefits of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors highlight the need to evaluate BRCA1/2 defects in tubal/ovarian cancer (OC). We sought to determine the pattern and disease characteristics associated with tumor BRCA1/2 mutations and BRCA1 methylation in women with OC. Methods We obtained 111 OC specimens from 2 university hospitals and assessed BRCA1/2 mutations and BRCA1 methylation in tumor DNA. The frequency and pattern of BRCA1/2 defects were examined. Associations between patient/disease characteristics and BRCA1/2 defects were ascertained (Fisher’s exact test). Platinum-free interval (PFI), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) based on the underlying BRCA1/2 defect were determined (Kaplan-Meier analysis [log-rank test]). Results We observed a BRCA1/2 dysfunction rate of 40% (28/70) in high-grade serous tubal/ovarian cancer (HGSC), including 14.3% BRCA1 methylation (n=10), 7.1% BRCA1 mutation (n=5), and 18.6% BRCA2 mutation (n=13). Defects in BRCA1/2 genes were associated with stage III/IV HGSC (BRCA1 methylation: P=0.005 [stage III/IV] and P=0.004 [HGSC]; BRCA1/2 mutation: P=0.03 [stage III/IV] and P<0.001 [HGSC]). Patients with BRCA1/2-mutated cancers showed improved OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43–0.99; P=0.045) and a trend toward improved PFI (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.22–1.06; P=0.07) and PFS (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.51–1.03; P=0.07). No survival differences were observed between BRCA1-methylated and BRCA1/2 wild-type non-BRCA1-methylated cancers. Conclusion We observed a high tumor BRCA1/2 dysfunction rate in HGSC with a unique predominance of BRCA2 over BRCA1 mutations. While BRCA1/2 mutations conferred survival benefits in OC, no such association was observed with BRCA1 methylation

First Trimester Prediction of Uteroplacental Disease- Results of the Prospective Handle Study

To assess the ability of non-invasive cardiac output monitoring (NICOM), a novel method of non-invasive maternal hemodynamic assessment using bioreactance, in combination with first trimester biomarkers to predict the evolution of gestational hypertension (GH), pre-eclampsia (PE) and normotensive fetal growth restriction (FGR)

Diagnostic evaluation, monitoring, and perioperative management of spinal cord compression in patients with Morquio syndrome.

Abstract Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA is an autosomal recessive condition caused by mutations in the GALNS gene, which encodes N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase, also called galactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS). A reduction in or absence of effective GALNS leads to faulty catabolism of keratan sulfate and chondroitin-6-sulfate within the lysosome; their accumulation causes cell, tissue, and organ dysfunction. The connective tissue, cartilage, ligaments, and bone of patients with Morquio A syndrome are particularly affected. Patients with Morquio A syndrome are at high risk of neurological complications because of their skeletal abnormalities; many patients are in danger of cervical myelopathy due to odontoid hypoplasia and ligamentous laxity leading to atlantoaxial subluxation. The multisystemic involvement of patients with Morquio A syndrome requires treatment by multidisciplinary teams; not all members of these teams may be aware of the potential for subluxation and quadriparesis. A multinational, multidisciplinary panel of 10 skeletal dysplasia or Morquio A syndrome specialists convened in Miami, FL on December 7 and 8, 2012 to develop consensus recommendations for early identification and effective management of spinal cord compression, for anesthesia and surgical best practices, and for effectual cardiac and respiratory management in patients with Morquio A syndrome. The target audience for these recommendations includes any physician who may encounter a patient with Morquio A syndrome, however doctors who do not have access to the full spectrum of specialists and resources needed to support patients with Morquio A syndrome should attempt to refer patients to a center that does. Physicians who manage Morquio A syndrome or comorbid conditions within specialty centers should review these expert panel recommendations and fully understand the implications of spinal cord instability for their own practices

A survey by hydraulic dredge of interstitial bivalves with commercial potential in Cill Chiaráin and Beirtreach buí Bays and along their connecting shoreline, Co Galway

The shellfish co-operative, Comharchuman Sliogéisc Chonamara Teó (CSC) manages oyster and scallop in Beirtreach buí and Cill Chiaráin Bays, both of which are designated aquaculture areas. Cill Chiaráin is also a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC). Various traditional fishing activities are carried on in the bays and CSC has rights to exploit clam species there. The work described here is a survey of interstitial clam species by hydraulic dredge between November 2001 and January 2002. Investigations were restricted from some of the upper bay areas where surface bivalve management was in progress. Much of the remaining areas within the Bays proved unsuitable for hydraulic dredging by virtue of the nature of the substratum. The exposed parts of the lower bays and the intervening coastline where the substratum was coarse sand (maërl or shell sand) were suitable for hydraulic dredging but bedrock and loose boulders often proved obstacles to towing. There was evidence of two assemblages of bivalves in the bays: one typified by Venus verrucosa, Venerupis senegalensis and Tapes rhomboides, all large and potentially valuable, occurred within maërl mixed with fine mud, the other whose most valuable components included Ensis arcuatus and Spisula solida, occurred in disintegrating maërl and in shell sand. The bivalve fauna in the two bays appeared to be typified by relatively high diversity and low biomass – which is accentuated by recent natural mortalities of Ensis arcuatus, a dominant species - and this is likely to prove a challenge to marketing; the Irish market typically exploits small numbers of clam species simultaneously. The terms of the licence under which CSC operates may provide opportunities to exploit clams within their designated area by means other than hydraulic dredging and these should be investigated. In view of the scientific values of the area and its status as a cSAC any plan to exploit its interstitial bivalves should be discussed with the relevant state agency.Funder: Marine Institut

Co-evolution of cerebral and cerebellar expansion in cetaceans.

Cetaceans possess brains that rank among the largest to have ever evolved, either in terms of absolute mass or relative to body size. Cetaceans have evolved these huge brains under relatively unique environmental conditions, making them a fascinating case study to investigate the constraints and selection pressures that shape how brains evolve. Indeed, cetaceans have some unusual neuroanatomical features, including a thin but highly folded cerebrum with low cortical neuron density, as well as many structural adaptations associated with acoustic communication. Previous reports also suggest that at least some cetaceans have an expanded cerebellum, a brain structure with wide-ranging functions in adaptive filtering of sensory information, the control of motor actions, and cognition. Here, we report that, relative to the size of the rest of the brain, both the cerebrum and cerebellum are dramatically enlarged in cetaceans and show evidence of co-evolution, a pattern of brain evolution that is convergent with primates. However, we also highlight several branches where cortico-cerebellar co-evolution may be partially decoupled, suggesting these structures can respond to independent selection pressures. Across cetaceans, we find no evidence of a simple linear relationship between either cerebrum and cerebellum size and the complexity of social ecology or acoustic communication, but do find evidence that their expansion may be associated with dietary breadth. In addition, our results suggest that major increases in both cerebrum and cerebellum size occurred early in cetacean evolution, prior to the origin of the major extant clades, and predate the evolution of echolocation

Dietary complexity and hidden costs of prey switching in a generalist top predator

Variation in predator diet is a critical aspect of food web stability, health, and population dynamics of predator/ prey communities. Quantifying diet, particularly among cryptic species, is extremely challenging, however, and differentiation between demographic subsets of populations is often overlooked. We used prey remains and data taken postmortem from otter Lutra lutra to determine the extent to which dietary variation in a top predator was associated with biotic, spatial, and temporal factors. Biotic data (e.g., sex, weight, and length) and stomach contents were taken from 610 otters found dead across England and Wales between 1994 and 2010. Prey remains were identified to species where possible, using published keys and reference materials. Multi‐model inference followed by model prediction was applied to test for and visualize the nature of associations. Evidence for widespread decline in the consumption of eels (Anguilla anguilla ) reflected known eel population declines. An association between eel consumption and otter body condition suggested negative consequences for otter nutrition. Consumption of Cottus gobio and stickleback spp. increased, but was unlikely to compensate (there was no association with body condition). More otters with empty stomachs were found over time. Otter sex, body length, and age‐class were important biotic predictors of the prey species found, and season, region, and distance from the coast were important abiotic predictors. Our study is unique in its multivariate nature, broad spatial scale, and long‐term dataset. Inclusion of biotic data allowed us to reveal important differences in costs and benefits of different prey types, and differences between demographic subsets of the population, overlaid on spatial and temporal variation. Such complexities in otter diet are likely to be paralleled in other predators, and detailed characterization of diet should not be overlooked in efforts to conserve wild populations