Age and Growth of the Green Toad, Bufo viridis (Laurenti, 1768) from an Island and a Mainland Population in Giresun, Turkey

WOS: 000298089700019Age structure and some growth parameters of Bufo viridis from the Giresun Island and Giresun province in Turkey were studied by skeletochronology. We studied 56 specimens (41 female, 15 male) from island and 44 (5 female, 39 male) from mainland population. In both populations, age at sexual maturity was 2-3 years in both males and females. Age was ranged from 2-8 years for females and 3-6 years for males in island while 4-7 and 3-8 years in mainland population, respectively. Males and females did not differ in the mean age while SVL and weight were significantly different between males and females in two populations. In addition, we found positive correlations between age and SVL in both sexes in two populations

Age Structure and Body Size Variation in Common Toad (Bufo bufo, Linnaeus 1758) from Three Different Altitudes in Turkey

gul, serkan/0000-0002-0372-7462WOS: 000478004100011We describe here for the first time the body size and age of the Common Toad (Bufo bufo) from high (Trabzon, 1090 m and Kastamonu, 925 m above sea level) and low (Yalova, 65 m above sea level) altitudes in Turkey using skeletochronology. the specimens from Trabzon were significantly smaller and younger than the ones from the Kastamonu and Yalova populations. Age at sexual maturity was three years for females while it varied between two to three years in males in all three populations. We found the females to be significantly larger than males in all three populations. the sexual dimorphism indices (SDI) were biased toward the female populations. Even after accounting for the influence of age, the snout-vent length (SVL) differed significantly among the populations. Age and SVL were closely correlated in the male populations for all the three localities (Yalova, Kastamonu, and Trabzon) and for female individuals in the Trabzon population. in this first report, we reveal the demographic structure of B. bufo from the Anatolia region in Turkey and provide comparative data regarding this species for further discussion and determined that age and body size of Common Toad not differentiated among different altitudes

Coexistence of myositis, transverse myelitis, and Guillain Barré syndrome following Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in an adolescent

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and transverse myelitis may occur coexistently in the pediatric population. This may be explained by a shared epitope between peripheral and central nervous system myelin. Coexistent transverse myelitis, myositis, and acute motor neuropathy in childhood have not been previously described. We describe a 14-year-old female patient with transverse myelitis, myositis, and GBS following Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. She presented with weakness and walking disability. Weakness progressed to involve all extremities and ultimately, she was unable to stand and sit. Based on the clinical findings, a presumptive diagnosis of myositis was made at an outside institution because of high serum creatine kinase level. The patient was referred to our institution for further investigation. Magnetic resonance imaging of spine revealed enhancing hyperintense lesions in the anterior cervicothoracic spinal cord. The electromyography revealed acute motor polyneuropathy. Serum M. pneumoniae IgM and IgG were positive indicating an acute infection. Repeated M. pneumoniae serology showed a significant increase in Mycoplasma IgG titer. The patient was given intravenous immunoglobulin for 2 days and clarithromycin for 2 weeks. She was able to walk without support after 2 weeks of hospitalization. This paper emphasizes the rarity of concomitant myositis, transverse myelitis, and GBS in children