Comparison of the collagen haemostat Sangustop(R) versus a carrier-bound fibrin sealant during liver resection; ESSCALIVER-study

Background: Haemostasis in liver surgery remains a challenge despite improved resection techniques. Oozing from blood vessels too small to be ligated necessitate a treatment with haemostats in order to prevent complications attributed to bleeding. There is good evidence from randomised trials for the efficacy of fibrin sealants, on their own or in combination with a carrier material. A new haemostatic device is Sangustop(R). It is a collagen based material without any coagulation factors. Pre-clinical data for Sangustop(R) showed superior haemostatic effect. This present study aims to show that in the clinical situation Sangustop(R) is not inferior to a carrier-bound fibrin sealant (Tachosil(R)) as a haemostatic treatment in hepatic resection. Methods: This is a multi-centre, patient-blinded, intra-operatively randomised controlled trial. A total of 126 patients planned for an elective liver resection will be enrolled in eight surgical centres. The primary objective of this study is to show the non-inferiority of Sangustop(R) versus a carrier-bound fibrin sealant (Tachosil(R)) in achieving haemostasis after hepatic resection. The surgical intervention is standardised with regard to devices and techniques used for resection and primary haemostasis. Patients will be followed-up for three months for complications and adverse events. Discussion: This randomised controlled trial (ESSCALIVER) aims to compare the new collagen haemostat Sangustop(R) with a carrier-bound fibrin sealant which can be seen as a "gold standard" in hepatic and other visceral organ surgery. If non-inferiority is shown other criteria than the haemostatic efficacy (e.g. costs, adverse events rate) may be considered for the choice of the most appropriate treatment. Trial Registration: NCT0091861

Understanding Non-traditional Hunters in New York: Initial Insights and Implications for Recruitment and Retention Research

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Ionization dynamics in expanding clusters studied by XUV pump probe spectroscopy

he expansion and disintegration dynamics of xenon clusters initiated by the ionization with femtosecond soft x ray extreme ultraviolet XUV pulses were studied with pump probe spectroscopy using the autocorrelator setup of the Free Electron LASer in Hamburg FLASH facility. The ionization by the first XUV pulse of 92 eV photon energy 8 1012 W cm amp; 8722;2 leads to the generation of a large number of quasi free electrons trapped by the space charge of the cluster ions. A temporally delayed, more intense probe 4 1013 W cm amp; 8722;2 pulse substantially increases a population of nanoplasma electrons providing a way of probing plasma states in the expanding cluster by tracing the average charge of fragment ions. The results of the study reveal a timescale for cluster expansion and disintegration, which depends essentially on the initial cluster size. The average charge state of fragment ions, and thus the cluster plasma changes significantly on a timescale of 1 3 p

Public Perceptions of Wildlife-Associated Disease: Risk Communication Matters

Wildlife professionals working at the interface where conflicts arise between people and wild animals have an exceptional responsibility in the long-term interest of sustaining society’s support for wildlife and its conservation by resolving human–wildlife conflicts so that people continue to view wildlife as a valued resource. The challenge of understanding and responding to people’s concerns about wildlife is particularly acute in situations involving wildlife-associated disease and may be addressed through One Health communication. Two important questions arise in this work: (1) how will people react to the message that human health and wildlife health are linked?; and (2) will wildlife-associated disease foster negative attitudes about wildlife as reservoirs, vectors, or carriers of disease harmful to humans? The answers to these questions will depend in part on whether wildlife professionals successfully manage wildlife disease and communicate the associated risks in a way that promotes societal advocacy for healthy wildlife rather than calls for eliminating wildlife because they are viewed as disease-carrying pests. This work requires great care in both formal and informal communication. We focus on risk perception, and we briefly discuss guidance available for risk communication, including formation of key messages and the importance of word choices. We conclude that the risk perception and communication research available is helpful but inadequate, and that thoughtful practice with respect to message and word choice is needed

Toward Human-Carnivore Coexistence: Understanding Tolerance for Tigers in Bangladesh

Fostering local community tolerance for endangered carnivores, such as tigers (Panthera tigris), is a core component of many conservation strategies. Identification of antecedents of tolerance will facilitate the development of effective tolerance-building conservation action and secure local community support for, and involvement in, conservation initiatives. We use a stated preference approach for measuring tolerance, based on the ‘Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity’ concept, to explore villagers’ tolerance levels for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, an area where, at the time of the research, human-tiger conflict was severe. We apply structural equation modeling to test an a priori defined theoretical model of tolerance and identify the experiential and psychological basis of tolerance in this community. Our results indicate that beliefs about tigers and about the perceived current tiger population trend are predictors of tolerance for tigers. Positive beliefs about tigers and a belief that the tiger population is not currently increasing are both associated with greater stated tolerance for the species. Contrary to commonly-held notions, negative experiences with tigers do not directly affect tolerance levels; instead, their effect is mediated by villagers’ beliefs about tigers and risk perceptions concerning human-tiger conflict incidents. These findings highlight a need to explore and understand the socio-psychological factors that encourage tolerance towards endangered species. Our research also demonstrates the applicability of this approach to tolerance research to a wide range of socio-economic and cultural contexts and reveals its capacity to enhance carnivore conservation efforts worldwide