Effect of Tillage, Straw Mulches and Grass Upon Soil-Moisture Losses and Soil Temperatures in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

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Parasites of South African Wildlife. I. Helminths of bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, and grey duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, from the Weza State Forest, Natal

Thirteen bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, and 13 grey duikers, Sylvicapra grimmia, were culled in the Weza State Forest, Natal, from May 1983-May 1984. The maximum number of worms recovered from a single bushbuck was 393. Of the total number of worms recovered from all the bushbuck, Paracooperia devossi were the most numerous, followed by Ostertagia harrisi, a Cooperia sp. and Haemonchus vegliai. P. devossi and O. harrisi were more numerous during winter and the Cooperia sp. more numerous during summer. Grey duiker harboured from 0-230 worms. The same Cooperia sp. as was recovered from the bushbuck and Trichostrongylus axei were the most numerous. The larvae of Taenia hydatigena were recovered from 5 duikers. The Coopena sp. was more numerous during summer and T. axei during winter, the remaining worms showing no seasonal pattern of abundance. Amended lists of the helminth parasites found in these antelope in the Republic of South Africa are provided.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu201

Validation of automatic measurement of QT interval variability

Background Increased variability of beat-to-beat QT-interval durations on the electrocardiogram (ECG) has been associated with increased risk for fatal and non-fatal cardiac events. However, techniques for the measurement of QT variability (QTV) have not been validated since a gold standard is not available. In this study, we propose a validation method and illustrate its use for the validation of two automatic QTV measurement techniques. Methods Our method generates artificial standard 12-lead ECGs based on the averaged P-QRS-T complexes from a variety of existing ECG signals, with simulated intrinsic (QT interval) and extrinsic (noise, baseline wander, signal length) variations. We quantified QTV by a commonly used measure, short-term QT variability (STV). Using 28,800 simulated ECGs, we assessed the performance of a conventional QTV measurement algorithm, resembling a manual QTV measurement approach, and a more advanced algorithm based on fiducial segment averaging (FSA). Results The results for the conventional algorithm show considerable median absolute differences between the simulated and estimated STV. For the highest noise level, median differences were 4±6 ms in the absence of QTV. Increasing signal length generally yields more accurate STV estimates, but the difference in performance between 30 or 60 beats is small. The FSA algorithm proved to be very accurate, with most median absolute differences less than 0.5 ms, even for the highest levels of disturbance. Conclusions Artificially constructed ECGs with a variety of disturbances allow validation of QTV measurement procedures. The FSA algorithm provides highly accurate STV estimates under varying signal conditions, and performs much better than traditional beat-by-beat analysis. The fully automatic operation of the FSA algorithm enables STV measurement in large sets of ECGs

Arthropod parasites of common reedbuck, Redunca arundinum, in Natal

Twenty-five common reedbuck, Redunca arundinum, from the Himeville region, 21 from the Eastern Shores Nature Reserve, 4 from the Charter's Creek Nature Reserve and 2 from the St Lucia Game Park, Natal were examined for arthropod parasites. The reedbuck from Himeville were infested with 4 ixodid tick species, those from the Eastern Shores with 7 species and those from Charter's Creek and St Lucia with 6 species. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi was the only tick common to the 4 localities. The lice Damalinia reduncae and Linognathus fahrenholzi were present on the reedbuck from each locality. In addition 3 red duiker, Cephalophus natalensis, and 2 bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, from the Charter's Creek Nature Reserve plus 2 impala, Aepyceros melampus, from the St Lucia Game Park were examined for ixodid ticks. The red duiker were infested with 3 tick species and the bushbuck and impala with 4 each.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

Parasites of South African wildlife. III. Helminths of common reedbuck, Redunca arundinum, in Natal

Twenty-six common reedbuck, Redunca arundinum, were shot in pairs at monthly intervals for 13 consecutive months in the Himeville region of Natal. Ten nematode species, 2 cestodes and 1 trematode were recovered from these animals. Cooperia yoshidai was both the most numerous and most prevalent worm and peak burdens occurred during summer. Thirty-one reedbuck, killed at different intervals in various localities within the St. Lucia Reserve, harboured between 4 and 11 nematode species, 1 cestode and 1 trematode. With the exception of 4 reedbuck shot during January 1987, in which Haemonchus contortus was the most abundant worm, C. yoshidai was again both the most abundant and most prevalent worm. Peak burdens of this nematode occurred during autumn to spring. The helminths of 5 impala, Aepyceros melampus, also shot in the St. Lucia Reserve were examined. Some of the worm species of impala were also found in the reedbuck from the same locality and the helminths of the 2 antelope species are compared. An amended list, which includes several new records of the parasites of common reedbuck in South Africa is provided.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

The helminths of various antelope species from Natal

Helminth parasites were collected from 2 bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, 2 red duiker, Cephalophus natalensis, 1 oribi, Ourebia ourebi, and 4 reedbuck, Redunca arundinum, that died or were culled in various parts of Natal. One trematode genus, 1 cestode genus and 12 nematode species were recovered. Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia harrisi, Trichostrongylus capricola, Trichostrongylus vitrinus, Cooperia rotundispiculum and Setaria scalprum are new parasite records for the red duiker. Trichostrongylus colubriformis is a new parasite record for the oribi and Longistrongylus schrenki, Trichostrongylus falculatus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Dictyocaulus viviparus are recorded from the reedbuck for the first time. An unidentified paramphistome was also recovered from the reedbuck.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.This study was partly funded by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the University of Pretoria.am201

Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XXIV. Arthropod parasites of bushbuck and common duiker in the Weza State Forest, Natal

One bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, and 1 common duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, were shot each month from May 1983 to May 1984 in the Weza State Forest, Natal, i.e. a total of 13 animlas of each species. The bushbuck were infested with 8 ixodid tick species, 2 louse species and a louse-fly species. The common duiker harboured 7 tick species and 2 louse species. Ticks of the genus Ixodes were the most numerous and prevalent on both antelope species, but no pattern of seasonal abundance was evident. Although only small numbers were recovered, adult Haemaphysalis aciculifer were present from September to February, nymphs of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus from May to September, and adult Rhipicephalus lunulatus from December to March. The louse-fly, Lipoptena paradoxa, was recovered from some of the bushbuck from October to May.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

Therapeutic drug monitoring to personalize dosing of imatinib, sunitinib, and pazopanib:A mixed methods study on barriers and facilitators

Background:Personalized dosing based on measurement of individual drug levels and adjusting the dose accordingly can improve efficacy and decrease unnecessary toxicity of oncological treatment. For imatinib, sunitinib, and pazopanib, this therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-guided dosing is, however, not routinely used, despite accumulating evidence favoring individualized dosing. Therefore, we aimed to identify and quantify (potential) barriers and facilitators in TDM-guided dosing for imatinib, sunitinib, and pazopanib. Methods: We performed a mixed methods study among all stakeholders involved: patients, healthcare professionals (HCPs), pharmaceutical companies, and health insurance companies. During the first qualitative part of this study, we performed semi-structured individual interviews and one focus group interview to identify all (potential) barriers and facilitators, and during the second quantitative part of this study, we used a web-based survey to quantify these findings. The interviews addressed the six domains of the implementation of change model of Grol and Wensing: (1) the innovation itself; (2) the HCP; (3) the patient; (4) social context; (5) organizational context; and (6) finances, law, and governance. Results: In the qualitative study, we interviewed 20 patients, 18 HCPs and 10 representatives of pharmaceutical and health insurance companies and identified 72 barriers and 90 facilitators. In the quantitative study, the survey was responded by 66 HCPs and 58 patients. Important barriers were on the domain of the HCP, such as a lack of experience with TDM (36.4%), on the domain of the patient, such as lack of awareness of TDM (39.7%), and the processing time for measurement and interpretation of the TDM result (40.9%) (organizational domain). Important facilitators were education of HCPs (95.5%), education of patients (87.9%) and facilitating an overview of when and where TDM measurements are being performed (86.4%). Conclusion: We identified and quantified important barriers and facilitators for the implementation of TDM-guided dosing for imatinib, sunitinib, and pazopanib. Based on our results, the implementation strategy should mainly focus on educating both HCPs and patients and on the organizational aspect of TDM.</p

Pain, fatigue, depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance in young adults with cerebral palsy

Purpose: Investigate pain, fatigue, depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance in young adults with cerebral palsy compared to references. Materials and methods: Young adults with cerebral palsy (n = 97, aged 21–34 years) and age-matched references from the general population (n = 190) rated pain using a numeric rating scale and fatigue, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance and global health using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® short forms. Scores were compared between cerebral palsy subgroups and the reference population. Correlation coefficients and linear regression analyses assessed interrelationships of health issues and associations with global health. Results: Individuals with Gross Motor Function Classification System level I had less pain, fatigue and depressive symptoms, while individuals with levels II and III–V had more pain (53% and 56%, p < 0.001) and those with levels III–V more fatigue (39%, p = 0.035) than references (pain: 26%, fatigue: 14%). Pain and fatigue were more interrelated (correlation coefficients: 0.71 vs. 0.41) and stronger associated with global mental health in individuals with cerebral palsy. Conclusions: Young adults with Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II–V report more pain and those with levels III–V report more fatigue than references. Pain and fatigue are highly interrelated and specifically relate to mental health in individuals with cerebral palsy.Implications for rehabilitation Except for those in the highest level of motor function, young adults with cerebral palsy report higher levels of pain and fatigue compared to the general population of the same age. Pain and fatigue are strongly interrelated and associated with mental health in young adults with cerebral palsy. The present study recommends to monitor pain and fatigue in young adults with cerebral palsy with low levels of gross motor function. We advise rehabilitation professionals to consider combined treatment for both pain and fatigue

Gene Expression Profiling of Histiocytic Sarcomas in a Canine Model: The Predisposed Flatcoated Retriever Dog

Background:The determination of altered expression of genes in specific tumor types and their effect upon cellular processes may create insight in tumorigenesis and help to design better treatments. The Flatcoated retriever is a dog breed with an exceptionally high incidence of histiocytic sarcomas. The breed develops two distinct entities of histiocytic neoplasia, a soft tissue form and a visceral form. Gene expression studies of these tumors have value for comparable human diseases such as histiocytic/dendritic cell sarcoma for which knowledge is difficult to accrue due to their rare occurrence. In addition, such studies may help in the search for genetic aberrations underlying the genetic predisposition in this dog breed.Methods:Microarray analysis and pathway analyses were performed on fresh-frozen tissues obtained from Flatcoated retrievers with localized, soft tissue histiocytic sarcomas (STHS) and disseminated, visceral histiocytic sarcomas (VHS) and on normal canine spleens from various breeds. Expression differences of nine genes were validated with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analyses.Results:QPCR analyses identified the significantly altered expression of nine genes; PPBP, SpiC, VCAM1, ENPEP, ITGAD (down-regulated), and GTSF1, Col3a1, CD90 and LUM (up-regulated) in the comparison of both the soft tissue and the visceral form with healthy spleen. DAVID pathway analyses revealed 24 pathways that were significantly involved in the development of HS in general, most of which were involved in the DNA repair and replication process.Conclusions:This study identified altered expression of nine genes not yet implicated in histiocytic sarcoma manifestations in the dog nor in comparable human histiocytic/dendritic sarcomas. Exploration of the downside effect of canine inbreeding strategies for the study of similar sarcomas in humans might also lead to the identification of genes related to these rare malignancies in the human