1,252 research outputs found
Long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis, Eider, Somateria spp., and Scoter, Melanitta spp., Distributions in Central Alaska Beaufort Sea Lagoons, 1999-2002
During July and August 1999â2002, distributions of Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis), eiders (Somateria spp.) and scoters (Melanitta spp.) were documented in three barrier island-lagoon systems in the central Alaska Beaufort Sea. Concentration areas for each species were determined during 16 aerial surveys. Kernel density procedures were used to delineate 75% and 50% âactivityâ or concentration areas for all three species. Long-tailed Ducks were 13 times more numerous than eiders and 38 times more numerous than scoters. The Long-tailed Duck 75% activity area encompassed all three lagoon systems and was three times as large as the eider activity area and one-third larger than the scoter activity area. Eider activity areas were located only in the eastern lagoon, and scoter activity areas were located only in the western lagoon. Density contours showed patterns of repeated habitat use for sea ducks over the four years of sampling and improve our understanding of sea duck habitat use within Beaufort Sea barrier island-lagoon habitats
Common Eider (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) Nest Cover and Depredation on Central Alaskan Beaufort Sea Barrier Islands
Female common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) generally select nest sites in areas with driftwood cover. Previous studies of common eiders have shown a positive relationship between nest success and driftwood cover. Our observations led us to hypothesize that cover does not enhance nest success when mammalian predators are present. To evaluate nest cover selection in common eiders, we examined five years of nesting data to determine the interactions between the probability of nest activity and the amount of driftwood cover in the presence of avian versus mammalian predators. Most common eider nests were surrounded by low (40%) or moderate (38%) driftwood cover. Nest failure rates were high (32%â 95%), and arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), alone or with polar bears (Ursus maritimus), appeared to be more destructive than glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) to eider nests. Logistic regression was used to model common eider nest activity associated with driftwood cover and predators. When glaucous gulls were the only predators, more driftwood cover consistently increased the probability of nest activity. But when foxes were present, nest activity consistently decreased with increasing cover. Our models support our observations that nest cover was beneficial to eiders when glaucous gulls alone were predators. Driftwood cover may be most important for the thermal and structural protection it offers, rather than for the camouflage it provides. The energetic benefit provided by driftwood windbreaks coupled with the common eiderâs behavioral response of decreased nest attendance, or increased exposure to avian depredation of nests as energy reserves are depleted during incubation, provides an explanatory mechanism for our model results.Lâeider Ă duvet femelle (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) choisit en gĂ©nĂ©ral son site de nidification dans des zones ayant un couvert de bois flottĂ©. Des Ă©tudes prĂ©cĂ©dentes sur les eiders Ă duvet ont rĂ©vĂ©lĂ© quâil existe une relation positive entre le succĂšs de la couvĂ©e et le couvert de bois flottĂ©. Nos observations nous ont amenĂ©s Ă Ă©mettre lâhypothĂšse que le couvert nâaugmente pas le succĂšs de la couvĂ©e en prĂ©sence de prĂ©dateurs mammifĂšres. Afin dâĂ©valuer le choix de couvert du nid chez lâeider Ă duvet, nous avons examinĂ© des donnĂ©es de nidification obtenues sur cinq annĂ©es, en vue de dĂ©gager les interactions entre la probabilitĂ© dâactivitĂ© au nid et la quantitĂ© de couvert de bois flottĂ© en prĂ©sence de prĂ©dateurs aviens par opposition aux prĂ©dateurs mammifĂšres. La plupart des nids de lâeider Ă duvet Ă©taient entourĂ©s par un faible couvert de bois flottĂ© (40 %) ou un couvert modĂ©rĂ© (38 %). Les taux dâinsuccĂšs Ă©taient Ă©levĂ©s (32 Ă 95 %) et le renard arctique (Alopex lagopus), seul ou avec lâours polaire (Ursus maritimus), semblait plus destructeur pour les nids de lâeider que le goĂ©land bourgmestre (Larus hyperboreus). On a utilisĂ© la rĂ©gression logistique pour simuler lâactivitĂ© au nid de lâeider Ă duvet associĂ©e au couvert de bois flottĂ© et aux prĂ©dateurs. Quand le goĂ©land bourgmestre Ă©tait le seul prĂ©dateur, une plus grande quantitĂ© de bois flottĂ© augmentait toujours la probabilitĂ© dâactivitĂ© au nid. En revanche, en prĂ©sence du renard, lâactivitĂ© au nid diminuait toujours avec une augmentation du couvert. Nos modĂšles viennent appuyer nos observations Ă lâeffet que le couvert du nid reprĂ©sentait un avantage pour lâeider quand le goĂ©land bourgmestre Ă©tait le seul prĂ©dateur. Le couvert de bois flottĂ© pourrait bien ĂȘtre dâune importance capitale en raison de la protection thermique et structurale quâil offre, plutĂŽt que pour ses capacitĂ©s de camouflage. Lâavantage Ă©nergĂ©tique quâoffrent les brise-vent de bois flottĂ© joint Ă la rĂ©action comportementale de lâeider Ă duvet â qui se manifeste par une plus grande prĂ©sence au nid, ou une plus grande exposition Ă une dĂ©prĂ©dation avienne du nid Ă mesure que sâĂ©puisent les rĂ©serves dâĂ©nergie durant lâincubation â, ces deux Ă©lĂ©ments donc fournissent un mĂ©canisme pouvant expliquer les rĂ©sultats de notre modĂšle
Load transfer at the distal ulna following simulated distal radius fracture malalignment.
PURPOSE: To measure the effects of distal radius malalignment on loading at the distal ulna.
METHODS: Using an adjustable mechanism to simulate angulated and translated malalignments, clinically relevant distal radius deformities were simulated in a cadaveric model. A custom-built load cell was inserted just proximal to the native ulna head to measure the resultant force and torque in the distal ulna. Loads were measured before and after transecting the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC).
RESULTS: There was an increase in distal ulna load and torque with increasing dorsal translation and angulation. Combined conditions of angulation and translation increased force and torque in the distal ulna to a greater extent than with either condition in isolation. Transecting the TFCC resulted in a reduction in distal ulna load and torque.
CONCLUSIONS: A progressive increase in load at the distal ulna was observed with increasing severity of malalignment, which may be an important contributor to residual ulnar wrist pain and dysfunction. However, no clear-cut threshold of malalignment of a dorsally angulated and translated distal radius fracture was identified. These observations suggest that radius deformities cause articular incongruity, which increases TFCC tension and distal radioulnar joint load. Cutting of the TFCC decreased distal ulna loading, likely by releasing the articular constraining effect of the TFCC on the distal radioulnar joint, allowing the radius to rotate more freely with respect to the ulna.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Anatomical reduction of a distal radius fracture minimizes the forces in the distal ulna and may reduce residual ulnar wrist pain and dysfunction
An ultrasensitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay to detect asymptomatic low-density Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in small volume blood samples.
BackgroundHighly sensitive, scalable diagnostic methods are needed to guide malaria elimination interventions. While traditional microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are suitable for the diagnosis of symptomatic malaria infection, more sensitive tests are needed to screen for low-density, asymptomatic infections that are targeted by interventions aiming to eliminate the entire reservoir of malaria infection in humans.MethodsA reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) was developed for multiplexed detection of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene and ribosomal RNA of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Simulated field samples stored for 14 days with sample preservation buffer were used to assess the analytical sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, 1750 field samples from Southeastern Myanmar were tested both by RDT and ultrasensitive RT-PCR.ResultsLimits of detection (LoD) were determined under simulated field conditions. When 0.3 mL blood samples were stored for 14 days at 28 °C and 80% humidity, the LoD was less than 16 parasites/mL for P. falciparum and 19.7 copies/”L for P. vivax (using a plasmid surrogate), about 10,000-fold lower than RDTs. Of the 1739 samples successfully evaluated by both ultrasensitive RT-PCR and RDT, only two were RDT positive while 24 were positive for P. falciparum, 108 were positive for P. vivax, and 127 were positive for either P. vivax and/or P. falciparum using ultrasensitive RT-PCR.ConclusionsThis ultrasensitive RT-PCR method is a robust, field-tested screening method that is vastly more sensitive than RDTs. Further optimization may result in a truly scalable tool suitable for widespread surveillance of low-level asymptomatic P. falciparum and P. vivax parasitaemia
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Understanding the mother-infant bond
NoAbridged version of article Milne E, Johnson SE, Waters GM et al (2018) The mother-infant bond: a systematic review of research that includes mothersâ subjective experience of the relationship. Community Practitioner. Accepted for publication
Crystal structure of a new benzoic acid inhibitor of influenza neuraminidase bound with a new tilt induced by overpacking subsite C6
Ischaemic strokes in patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: associations with iron deficiency and platelets.
<div><p>Background</p><p>Pulmonary first pass filtration of particles marginally exceeding âŒ7 ”m (the size of a red blood cell) is used routinely in diagnostics, and allows cellular aggregates forming or entering the circulation in the preceding cardiac cycle to lodge safely in pulmonary capillaries/arterioles. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations compromise capillary bed filtration, and are commonly associated with ischaemic stroke. Cohorts with CT-scan evident malformations associated with the highest contrast echocardiographic shunt grades are known to be at higher stroke risk. Our goal was to identify within this broad grouping, which patients were at higher risk of stroke.</p><p>Methodology</p><p>497 consecutive patients with CT-proven pulmonary arteriovenous malformations due to hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia were studied. Relationships with radiologically-confirmed clinical ischaemic stroke were examined using logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic analyses, and platelet studies.</p><p>Principal Findings</p><p>Sixty-one individuals (12.3%) had acute, non-iatrogenic ischaemic clinical strokes at a median age of 52 (IQR 41â63) years. In crude and age-adjusted logistic regression, stroke risk was associated not with venous thromboemboli or conventional neurovascular risk factors, but with low serum iron (adjusted odds ratio 0.96 [95% confidence intervals 0.92, 1.00]), and more weakly with low oxygen saturations reflecting a larger right-to-left shunt (adjusted OR 0.96 [0.92, 1.01]). For the same pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, the stroke risk would approximately double with serum iron 6 ”mol/L compared to mid-normal range (7â27 ”mol/L). Platelet studies confirmed overlooked data that iron deficiency is associated with exuberant platelet aggregation to serotonin (5HT), correcting following iron treatment. By MANOVA, adjusting for participant and 5HT, iron or ferritin explained 14% of the variance in log-transformed aggregation-rate (pâ=â0.039/pâ=â0.021).</p><p>Significance</p><p>These data suggest that patients with compromised pulmonary capillary filtration due to pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are at increased risk of ischaemic stroke if they are iron deficient, and that mechanisms are likely to include enhanced aggregation of circulating platelets.</p></div
Quantification of drug metabolising enzymes and transporter proteins in the paediatric duodenum via LC-MS/MS proteomics using a QconCAT technique
Characterising the small intestine absorptive membrane is essential to enable prediction of the systemic exposure of oral formulations. In particular, the ontogeny of key intestinal Drug Metabolising Enzymes and Transporter (DMET) proteins involved in drug disposition needs to be elucidated to allow for accurate prediction of the PK profile of drugs in the paediatric cohort. Using pinch biopsies from the paediatric duodenum (n = 36; aged 11 months to 15 years), the abundance of 21 DMET proteins and two enterocyte markers were quantified via LC-MS/MS. An established LCMS nanoflow method was translated to enable analysis on a microflow LC system, and a new stable-isotope-labelled QconCAT standard developed to enable quantification of these proteins. Villin-1 was used to standardise abundancy values. The observed abundancies and ontogeny profiles, agreed with adult LC-MS/MS-based data, and historic paediatric data obtained via western blotting. A linear trend with age was observed for duodenal CYP3A4 and CES2 only. As this work quantified peptides on a pinch biopsy coupled with a microflow method, future studies using a wider population range are very feasible. Furthermore, this DMET ontogeny data can be used to inform paediatric PBPK modelling and to enhance the understanding of oral drug absorption and gut bioavailability in paediatric populations
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Risk Owners & Risk Managers: Dealing with the complexity of feeding children with neurodevelopmental disability
This paper illustrates negotiations around risk between lay people and clinicians in relation to gastrostomy interventions for disabled children. These negotiations centre on differing interpretations of what constitutes risk in relation to the safety of oral feeding and a child's need for a feeding tube between parents, carers and clinical specialties. Drawing on Heyman's distinction between risk managers and risk owners, we show that not only do clinicians act as risk managers and parents and carers as risk owners, but that these distinctions often become blurred either because of the shifting dynamics of relations of care or because of the specificity of clinical practice. Parents become risk managers in relation to carers' roles, while clinicians become risk owners in relation to particular procedures which define their practice. This has implications for lay and expert interactions as well as professional accountability for those caring for children with complex medical conditions. Although not an empirical article, we draw on empirical work in the UK. We analyse both parental and professional constructions of risk based on observations of co-ordinating a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of gastrostomy surgery. We also examine the diverse value systems used by different groups of professionals and lay carers which inform judgements about risk and feeding. We conclude by arguing that issues of risk in contemporary health care are not just examples of âmanufactured uncertaintyâ or of ânegotiated powerâ but constitute a dialectical relationship which breaks down the essentialist dualism of lay and professional constructions of risk
<i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> Pgp3 Antibody Population Seroprevalence before and during an Era of Widespread Opportunistic Chlamydia Screening in England (1994-2012)
BACKGROUND: Opportunistic chlamydia screening of <25 year-olds was nationally-implemented in England in 2008 but its impact on chlamydia transmission is poorly understood. We undertook a population-based seroprevalence study to explore the impact of screening on cumulative incidence of chlamydia, as measured by C.trachomatis-specific antibody. METHODS: Anonymised sera from participants in the nationally-representative Health Surveys for England (HSE) were tested for C.trachomatis antibodies using two novel Pgp3 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) as a marker of past infection. Determinants of being seropositive were explored using logistic regression among 16-44 year-old women and men in 2010 and 2012 (years when sexual behaviour questions were included in the survey) (n = 1,402 women; 1,119 men). Seroprevalence trends among 16-24 year-old women (n = 3,361) were investigated over ten time points from 1994-2012. RESULTS: In HSE2010/2012, Pgp3 seroprevalence among 16-44 year-olds was 24.4% (95%CI 22.0-27.1) in women and 13.9% (11.8-16.2) in men. Seroprevalence increased with age (up to 33.5% [27.5-40.2] in 30-34 year-old women, 18.7% [13.4-25.6] in 35-39 year-old men); years since first sex; number of lifetime sexual partners; and younger age at first sex. 76.7% of seropositive 16-24 year-olds had never been diagnosed with chlamydia. Among 16-24 year-old women, a non-significant decline in seroprevalence was observed from 2008-2012 (prevalence ratio per year: 0.94 [0.84-1.05]). CONCLUSION: Our application of Pgp3 ELISAs demonstrates a high lifetime risk of chlamydia infection among women and a large proportion of undiagnosed infections. A decrease in age-specific cumulative incidence following national implementation of opportunistic chlamydia screening has not yet been demonstrated. We propose these assays be used to assess impact of chlamydia control programmes
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