'N kort mededeling oor die invloed van natriumhidroksied op die verteerbaar-heid en inname van winterveldgras van swak kwaliteit

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Evidence for density dependent population regulation in southern elephant seals in the southern Indian Ocean

The means by which populations are regulated form a central theme in conservation biology, and much debate has revolved around density dependence as a mechanism driving population change. Marion Island (46o54'S, 37o45'E) is host to a relatively small breeding population of southern elephant seals, which like its counterparts in the southern Indian and southern Pacific Oceans, have declined precipitously over the past few decades. An intensive mark-recapture study, which commenced in 1983, has yielded a long time-series of resight data on this population. We used the program MARK to estimate adult female survival in this population from resight data collected over the period 1986-1999. Including concurrent population counts as covariates significantly improved our mark-recapture models and suggests density dependent population regulation to be operational in the population. Although predation may have been involved, it is far more likely that density dependent regulation has been based on a limited food supply. A significant increase in adult female survival was evident which is likely to have given rise to recent changes in population growth

Geographic range extension of Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise Kinixys spekii Gray, 1863

Kinixys spekii has a wide distribution range across sub-Saharan Africa, having been reported from Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, eSwatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Kinixys spekii inhabits savannah and dry bushveld habitats and was previously considered an inland species. However, recent records suggest a more extensive geographical distribution. Here, we provide genetically verifed records for Angola, South Africa, and Mozambique, and discuss reliable sightings for Rwanda. These new records extend the range signifcantly to the east and west, and provide evidence for the occurrence of this species along the coast of the Indian Ocean in South Africa and Mozambique.© 2019 Ihlow et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License [Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/], which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The official and authorized publication credit sources, which will be duly enforced, are as follows: offcial journal title Amphibian & Reptile Conservation; official journal website: amphibian-reptile-conservation.org

Outcomes of selfinduced late pregnancy termination in women presenting to a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa

Background. Little is known about the outcomes of self-induced pregnancy termination after 24 weeks’ gestation, as previous studies have concentrated on outcomes before 24 weeks.Objectives. To investigate the gestational age, misoprostol dosage, source of information on misoprostol, reasons for termination and outcomes of self-induced pregnancy termination after 24 weeks’ gestation.Methods. A quantitative, retrospective case series observational research design was utilised. Paediatric case summaries and the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme were used to collect data. Cases of self-induced pregnancy termination using misoprostol after 24 weeks’ gestation treated at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, during the period 1 July 2011 - 1 January 2012 were identified and included in the study. Frequencies and proportions were used to analyse data.Results. Eighteen known cases of self-induced pregnancy termination using misoprostol after 24 weeks’ gestation were treated at the hospital during the 6-month study period. Misoprostol doses ranged from 400 to 1 200 µg. Birth weight was <500 g in 1 case (6%), 500 - 1499 g in 12 (67%), 1 500 - 1 999 g in 2 (11%), >2 500 g in 1 (6%) and unknown in 1 (6%). Eleven of the babies (67%) were born alive and 5 (28%) were stillborn (1 further stillbirth (6%) was classified as an abortion, <500 g). One baby (6%) survived, and in 1 case (6%) the pregnancy continued. Eight of the 10 neonatal deaths were early and 2 were late. The major cause of neonatal death was hyaline membrane disease (n=8, 44%). Other causes were hypoxia (n=2), septicaemia (n=2), necrotising enterocolitis (n=2), pulmonary haemorrhage (n=2) and intraventricular haemorrhage (n=2). More than one cause applied in some cases. The maternal complications were manual removal of the placenta (n=2, 11%), ruptured uterus (n=1, 6%), and anaemia with blood transfusion (n=1, 6%).Conclusions. Self-administration of misoprostol to induce pregnancy termination after 24 weeks’ gestation contributes to preterm births and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The findings of this study show that there is a need to educate women on the perinatal and maternal risks associated with self-induced pregnancy termination at a late stage of gestation, availability of safe options for pregnancy termination, and contraceptive use and adherence. Healthcare workers need to be sensitive to the possibility that cases of apparent spontaneous preterm labour or birth may have been self-induced.Â

Haulout site selection by southern elephant seals at Marion Island

Using data from an ongoing mark-resight programme at Marion Island, we tested empirically whether southern elephant seals prefer certain terrestrial sites to others during the breeding, moulting and winter haulouts, and whether the pattern of site use is the same for different age and sex groups. Southern elephant seals preferred some sites, while discriminating against other sites, with different age and sex classes using different sites for certain haulout events. Wintering young animals did not show strong site selection. Some popular sites were used for all haulouts by all age and sex groups, and apparently have all the requirements of a good site for terrestrial haulout by southern elephant seals. Site selection becomes more apparent with age, suggesting the role of haulout experience in site selection

Outcomes of self-induced late pregnancy termination in women presenting to a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Background. Little is known about the outcomes of self-induced pregnancy termination after 24 weeks’ gestation, as previous studies have concentrated on outcomes before 24 weeks.Objectives. To investigate the gestational age, misoprostol dosage, source of information on misoprostol, reasons for termination and outcomes of self-induced pregnancy termination after 24 weeks’ gestation.Methods. A quantitative, retrospective case series observational research design was utilised. Paediatric case summaries and the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme were used to collect data. Cases of self-induced pregnancy termination using misoprostol after 24 weeks’ gestation treated at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, during the period 1 July 2011 - 1 January 2012 were identified and included in the study. Frequencies and proportions were used to analyse data.Results. Eighteen known cases of self-induced pregnancy termination using misoprostol after 24 weeks’ gestation were treated at the hospital during the 6-month study period. Misoprostol doses ranged from 400 to 1 200 µg. Birth weight was <500 g in 1 case (6%), 500 - 1499 g in 12 (67%), 1 500 - 1 999 g in 2 (11%), >2 500 g in 1 (6%) and unknown in 1 (6%). Eleven of the babies (67%) were born alive and 5 (28%) were stillborn (1 further stillbirth (6%) was classified as an abortion, <500 g). One baby (6%) survived, and in 1 case (6%) the pregnancy continued. Eight of the 10 neonatal deaths were early and 2 were late. The major cause of neonatal death was hyaline membrane disease (n=8, 44%). Other causes were hypoxia (n=2), septicaemia (n=2), necrotising enterocolitis (n=2), pulmonary haemorrhage (n=2) and intraventricular haemorrhage (n=2). More than one cause applied in some cases. The maternal complications were manual removal of the placenta (n=2, 11%), ruptured uterus (n=1, 6%), and anaemia with blood transfusion (n=1, 6%).Conclusions. Self-administration of misoprostol to induce pregnancy termination after 24 weeks’ gestation contributes to preterm births and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The findings of this study show that there is a need to educate women on the perinatal and maternal risks associated with self-induced pregnancy termination at a late stage of gestation, availability of safe options for pregnancy termination, and contraceptive use and adherence. Healthcare workers need to be sensitive to the possibility that cases of apparent spontaneous preterm labour or birth may have been self-induced.

Accurate automated quantitative imaging of tortoise erythrocytes using the NIS image analysis system

The standard method for assessing blood cell characteristics using an ocular micrometer is time-consuming and limited. We used the Nikon NIS Elements imaging software and May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining to determine whether automated image analysis is suitable for rapid and accurate quantitative morphometry of erythrocytes. Blood was collected during four seasons from 126 geometric tortoises and the blood smears were evaluated for cell (C) and nuclear (N) characteristics of the erythrocytes. We measured area, length (L), width (W), perimeter, elongation and pixelation intensity, and calculated L/W and N/C areas. Erythrocyte size differed among cohorts; females, the larger sex, had smaller erythrocytes than either males or juveniles. Males had more elongated erythrocytes than females and erythrocytes of adults were more elongated than those of juveniles. Erythrocyte size and shape influence the efficiency of gas exchange owing to surface area to volume ratios, which are greater for small, elongated cells than for large, round cells. The high N/C ratio and low pixelation intensities of males and juveniles indicate that they may have had more immature erythrocytes in their circulation than females. The use of pixelation intensity to indicate the presence of immature erythrocytes was validated by seasonal differences that corresponded to the biology of the tortoises. Pixelation intensity was lowest in winter. We found that automated image analysis is a rapid and reliable method for determining cell size and shape, and it offers the potential for distinguishing among developmental stages that differ in staining intensity. The method should be useful for rapid health assessments, particularly of threatened species, and for comparative studies among different vertebrates.Web of Scienc

Codon-based analysis of selection pressure and genetic structure in the Psammobates tentorius (Bell, 1828) species complex, and phylogeny inferred from both codons and amino acid sequences

This study used codon analysis (dN/dS and Tv/Ti) to investigate selection pressure and genetic structure in the highly polymorphic Psammobates tentorius species complex, and amino acid sequences to construct a phylogeny tree for it. Our results revealed a strong selection signal at node ‘C2 + C3’, possibly driven by aridity intensification resulting from the development of the Benguela Current. A similar signal was noticed at C3, possibly due to the same driving force. These findings suggest that environmental selection pressure favoured those groups and that further cladogenic events were possible. Selection pressure was also found to be high at C1, C4 and C7, which may indicate that they are also favoured by the current selection pressure. The codon-based phylogeny did not retrieve any potentially undescribed species, but nonetheless provided support for the validity of the seven distinct clades retrieved with the DNA sequence data. The amino acid sequence-based phylogeny generally supported the seven lineages as valid putative species. Investigation at the genomic scale could, however, help to solve the issue. In general, we found the codon, dN, dS, Tv, Ti and amino acid sequence-based phylogenetic inferences useful in species delimitation and recommend their use in species delimitation studies

Misoprostol in addition to routine treatment of postpartum hemorrhage: A hospital-based randomized-controlled trial in Karachi, Pakistan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains a major killer of women worldwide. Standard uterotonic treatments used to control postpartum bleeding do not always work and are not always available. Misoprostol's potential as a treatment option for PPH is increasingly known, but its use remains ad hoc and available evidence does not support the safety or efficacy of one particular regimen. This study aimed to determine the adjunct benefit of misoprostol when combined with standard oxytocics for PPH treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A randomized controlled trial was conducted in four Karachi hospitals from December 2005 – April 2007 to assess the benefit of a 600 mcg dose of misoprostol given sublingually in addition to standard oxytocics for postpartum hemorrhage treatment. Consenting women had their blood loss measured after normal vaginal delivery and were enrolled in the study after losing more than 500 ml of blood. Women were randomly assigned to receive either 600 mcg sublingual misoprostol or matching placebo in addition to standard PPH treatment with injectable oxytocics. Both women and providers were blinded to the treatment assignment. Blood loss was collected until active bleeding stopped and for a minimum of one hour after PPH diagnosis. Total blood loss, hemoglobin measures, and treatment outcomes were recorded for all participants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Due to a much lower rate of PPH than expected (1.2%), only sixty-one patients were diagnosed and treated for their PPH in this study, and we were therefore unable to measure statistical significance in any of the primary endpoints. The addition of 600 mcg sublingual misoprostol to standard PPH treatments does, however, suggest a trend in reduced postpartum blood loss, a smaller drop in postpartum hemoglobin, and need for fewer additional interventions. Women who bled less overall had a significantly smaller drop in hemoglobin and received fewer additional interventions. There were no hysterectomies or maternal deaths among study participants. The rate of transient shivering and fever was significantly higher among women receiving misoprostol</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A 600 mcg dose of misoprostol given sublingually shows promise as an adjunct treatment for PPH and its use should continue to be explored for its life-saving potential in the care of women experiencing PPH.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical trials.gov, Registry No. NCT00116480</p