Urinary incontinence secondary to a suspected congenital urethral deformity in a kitten.

CASE SUMMARY: A 5-month-old entire male domestic shorthair kitten was referred for investigation of a month-long history of urinary incontinence. Clinical examination, baseline blood work and imaging (plain radiography and ultrasonography) were unremarkable. Urinalysis documented a urinary tract infection and a retrograde urethrocystogram revealed an outpouching of the pelvic urethra. Surgical exploration revealed the absence of the dorsal portion of the urethral wall in this section of pelvic urethra, replaced by an epithelial lined expanded 'pouch'. The ventral aspect of the urethra appeared grossly normal. A modified perineal urethrostomy was performed to create an anastomosis of the urethral pouch to the skin of the perineum alongside conventional castration. The kitten made a full recovery and the incontinence resolved within 48 h. A congenital urethral diverticulum and secondary urinary tract infection were deemed the most likely aetiology in this case. RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION: Urethral diverticuli are a rare condition in veterinary medicine. To our knowledge, it has only been reported in two dogs and presumptively in one cat, all of which made a complete recovery after surgical intervention. The present case reports an unusual urethral deformity as a potential differential diagnosis for lower urinary tract signs in a young cat

Bacteriophages pass through candle-shaped porous ceramic filters: Application for the collection of viruses in soil water

Despite the ubiquity of viruses in soils, their diversity in soil water has not been explored, mainly due to the difficulty of collecting them. In hydrology, soil water is usually collected using porous candles. This study proposes using these porous candles as a new tool for sampling viruses in soil water to analyze their passage through the ceramic part of the candles. The recovery of the viruses was determined after filtration under laboratory conditions using three model bacteriophages (MS2, ΦX174, and Φ6) and Escherichia coli, at neutral and acidic pH. Then, a field experiment was carried out where soil water filtration and viral identification by metagenomic shotgun were performed. At neutral pH, all bacteriophages tested successfully passed through the porous candles during the filtration process, with reductions of 0.02 log, 0.16 log, and 0.55 log for MS2 ΦX174 and Φ6, respectively. At pH 4.4, the passage of MS2 was not affected while ΦX174 underwent a slight reduction in recovery, probably caused by adsorption onto the filter material. Regarding the application of the porous candles in the field, the results obtained allowed the successful recovery of viruses, exposing porous candles as a new method suitable for the collection of viruses from soil water in the context of the study of viral communities

Etude de la prévalence des parasites gastro-intestinaux, pulmonaires et de Taxoplasma gondii chez le chat en région toulousaine

L’étude épidémiologique menée auprès de chats patients au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de l’Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse comprend l’analyse coproscopique et la recherche de larves pulmonaires dans les selles de 498 chats, l’analyse des contenus digestifs de 50 chats autopsiés, et la recherche d’anticorps dirigés contre Toxoplasma gondii dans des prélèvements sanguins issus de 139 chats. Plus d’un chat sur deux hébergeait au moins une espèce d’endoparasite. Les parasites les plus représentés sont Giardia spp. (prévalence de 49,6%) et Toxocara cati (9,2%). D’autres parasites digestifs ont été identifiés, mais leur prévalence est faible : Cystoisospora spp. (1%), Strongyloïdes spp (0,6%), Dipylidium caninum (0,4%), Ancylostoma spp. (0,2%) et Toxascaris leonina (0,2%). L’analyse des contenus digestifs de 50 chats a permis de mettre en évidence Mesocestoides spp. (4%) et Taenia taeniaformis (2%) dont la présence ne peut être objectivée avec les méthodes coproscopiques habituelles. Les parasites pulmonaires sont rares également, la prévalence d’Aelurostrongylus abstrusus étant de 1%. La séropositivité des chats à Toxoplasma gondii est estimée à 10,1%, soit un résultat qui s’avère inférieur aux prévalences précédemment établies

Diagnostic yield of percutaneous, ultrasound-guided, fine needle aspirates of the gastrointestinal wall: a retrospective analysis of 152 samples

Objectives: The aim was to assess the technical success of percutaneous ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates of gastrointestinal wall lesions and evaluate predictors of success. Secondary aims included comparing the cytological diagnosis with histopathology, evaluating the utility of concurrent locoregional lymph node cytology and assessing the procedure's complication rate. Material and Methods: Gastrointestinal wall cytology from 75 dogs and 70 cats obtained between 2018 and 2023 were reviewed and categorised as successful (resulting in a diagnostic cytology report) and accurate (resulting in the correct diagnosis when compared to histopathology). Unsuccessful fine needle aspirates, not submitted for cytology, were not recorded. Variables recorded included animal signalment, lesion and lymph node's appearance on ultrasound, size, location, number of smears submitted and experience of the ultrasonographer. Results: One hundred and fifty-two reports were analysed. Eighty-eight (58%) were successful: three normal epithelium, 21 inflammatory processes and 64 neoplasms. Variables associated with increased technical success included description of a mass, higher number of slides submitted and thickness of gastrointestinal lesion on ultrasound. Comparison with histopathology, performed for 17 lesions, showed discrepancies in eight, complete agreement in seven and partial in two. Eighty-four loco-regional lymph nodes were sampled, of which, 67 were successful (80%) and 52 brought additional clinical information (supporting GI wall cytology or diagnosing neoplasia not identified on GI wall cytology). No complication strictly attributable to gastrointestinal wall sampling was reported but when possibly related, death of the patient occurred in 2.5% of cases. Clinical Significance: Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirate of gastrointestinal wall had moderate accuracy and was unsuccessful in 42% of cases, but technical success increased when sampling mass lesions, thicker intestinal layers and submitting more slides.</p

Sustainability in a changing world: integrating human health and wellbeing, urbanisation, and ecosystem services

There is an urgent need to address interlinked sustainability issues in a world challenged by inequality, finite resources and unprecedented changes across Earth’s systems. As Future Earth Fellows, based on our collective expertise in a diverse range of sustainability issues, here we identify a specific need to recognise and respond appropriately to the nexus between human health and wellbeing, urbanisation, and ecosystem services (the ‘WUE nexus’). This nexus is a priority area for research, policy and practice. In particular, it provides a useful pathway to meet the challenges of successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this brief, we present the following policy recommendations:1. By emphasising urban-rural linkages, foster an integrated approach to ensure food security, food safety, and health promotion;2. Secure resilient livelihoods for all, in particular for vulnerable groups; and3. Integrate co-production of knowledge in science for decision-making, including the co-design of implementation frameworks, and the adoption of a nexus approach.<br/

Effect of Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Treatment on Early Trajectories of Virologic and Immunologic Biomarkers in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nmAbs) failed to show clear benefit for hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Dynamics of virologic and immunologic biomarkers remain poorly understood. METHODS: Participants enrolled in the Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 trials were randomized to nmAb versus placebo. Longitudinal differences between treatment and placebo groups in levels of plasma nucleocapsid antigen (N-Ag), anti-nucleocapsid antibody, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and D-dimer at enrollment, day 1, 3, and 5 were estimated using linear mixed models. A 7-point pulmonary ordinal scale assessed at day 5 was compared using proportional odds models. RESULTS: Analysis included 2149 participants enrolled between August 2020 and September 2021. Treatment resulted in 20% lower levels of plasma N-Ag compared with placebo (95% confidence interval, 12%-27%; P \u3c .001), and a steeper rate of decline through the first 5 days (P \u3c .001). The treatment difference did not vary between subgroups, and no difference was observed in trajectories of other biomarkers or the day 5 pulmonary ordinal scale. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that nmAb has an antiviral effect assessed by plasma N-Ag among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, with no blunting of the endogenous anti-nucleocapsid antibody response. No effect on systemic inflammation or day 5 clinical status was observed. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT04501978

Effect of Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Treatment on Early Trajectories of Virologic and Immunologic Biomarkers in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nmAbs) failed to show clear benefit for hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Dynamics of virologic and immunologic biomarkers remain poorly understood. METHODS: Participants enrolled in the Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 trials were randomized to nmAb versus placebo. Longitudinal differences between treatment and placebo groups in levels of plasma nucleocapsid antigen (N-Ag), anti-nucleocapsid antibody, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and D-dimer at enrollment, day 1, 3, and 5 were estimated using linear mixed models. A 7-point pulmonary ordinal scale assessed at day 5 was compared using proportional odds models. RESULTS: Analysis included 2149 participants enrolled between August 2020 and September 2021. Treatment resulted in 20% lower levels of plasma N-Ag compared with placebo (95% confidence interval, 12%-27%; P \u3c .001), and a steeper rate of decline through the first 5 days (P \u3c .001). The treatment difference did not vary between subgroups, and no difference was observed in trajectories of other biomarkers or the day 5 pulmonary ordinal scale. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that nmAb has an antiviral effect assessed by plasma N-Ag among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, with no blunting of the endogenous anti-nucleocapsid antibody response. No effect on systemic inflammation or day 5 clinical status was observed. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT04501978

Advances in Molecular Quantum Chemistry Contained in the Q-Chem 4 Program Package

A summary of the technical advances that are incorporated in the fourth major release of the Q-Chem quantum chemistry program is provided, covering approximately the last seven years. These include developments in density functional theory methods and algorithms, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) property evaluation, coupled cluster and perturbation theories, methods for electronically excited and open-shell species, tools for treating extended environments, algorithms for walking on potential surfaces, analysis tools, energy and electron transfer modelling, parallel computing capabilities, and graphical user interfaces. In addition, a selection of example case studies that illustrate these capabilities is given. These include extensive benchmarks of the comparative accuracy of modern density functionals for bonded and non-bonded interactions, tests of attenuated second order Møller–Plesset (MP2) methods for intermolecular interactions, a variety of parallel performance benchmarks, and tests of the accuracy of implicit solvation models. Some specific chemical examples include calculations on the strongly correlated Cr2 dimer, exploring zeolite-catalysed ethane dehydrogenation, energy decomposition analysis of a charged ter-molecular complex arising from glycerol photoionisation, and natural transition orbitals for a Frenkel exciton state in a nine-unit model of a self-assembling nanotube

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure