Movement Behavior and Habitat Selection of Juvenile Mountain Lions (\u3ci\u3ePuma concolor\u3c/i\u3e) During Three Behavioral States of Dispersal

Juvenile dispersal, the act of moving from their natal range to the place where they eventually reproduce and establish an adult home range is hazardous. Juveniles must travel and find food across unfamiliar landscapes, where they must also cross roads, avoid harvest, and navigate developed landscapes. Despite the inherent dangers of dispersal, this demographic process is important for finding suitable mates and reducing inbreeding depression. Wildlife conservation concerns arise when individuals are unable to disperse due to a loss of connectivity, as this can negatively impact population demographics and genetic diversity. We explored the effects of hunting and human-developed landscapes on the dispersal behavior of juvenile mountain lions (Puma concolor) in two geographically separated populations subject to different management practices—one with hunting in Nevada and one protected from hunting in California. We used GPS-collar data from 12 and 13 individuals in Nevada and California, respectively, and divided juvenile dispersal into three distinct movement states: exploratory, departure, and transient home range. We then compared used and available locations to identify habitat selection and avoidance characteristics. Our study revealed consistencies between the two sites, including selection for habitat features such as forest, shrub, elevation, and terrain ruggedness. Notably, only the population subjected to hunting pressure exhibited avoidance of human-developed habitat types. Results suggest that hunting influences the dispersal behavior of juvenile mountain lions. This thesis highlights the utility of research using comparative populations to further our understanding of dispersal behavior

Chronic vulvar pain in a cohort of post-menopausal women: Atrophy or Vulvodynia?

Abstract Background Although postmenopausal vulvar pain is frequently attributed to vaginal atrophy, such symptoms may be due to vulvodynia, a chronic vulvar pain condition. Given the limited research on vulvodynia in postmenopausal women, the objective of this study was to provide preliminary population-based data on the associations of vaginal symptoms, serum hormone levels and hormone use with chronic vulvar pain in a multiethnic sample of post-menopausal women. Methods We used data from 371 participants at the Michigan site of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) who participated in the 13th follow-up visit. Women completed a validated screening instrument for vulvodynia and provided information on additional vaginal symptoms as well as demographic characteristics, and hormone use by questionnaire. Blood samples were obtained to assess hormone levels. We compared women who screened positive for vulvodynia and women with past or short-duration vulvar pain to women without vulvar pain, using Chi-squared and Fisher’s Exact tests. Relative odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated using multinomial logistic regression models adjusting for age, body mass index, and race/ethnicity. Results Current chronic vulvar pain consistent with vulvodynia was reported by 4.0 % of women, while 13.7 % reported past but not current chronic vulvar pain or short-duration vulvar pain symptoms. One quarter of women who reported current chronic vulvar pain did not report vaginal dryness. Women with current chronic and with past/short duration vulvar pain symptoms were more likely to have used hormones during the preceding year than women without vulvar pain symptoms (13.3 %, 17.6 %, 2.0 %, respectively; p < .01). Increased relative odds of current vulvar pain symptoms were associated with each log unit decrease in serum dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, estradiol and testosterone levels at the previous year’s visit. Conclusion Some women who experience chronic vulvar pain symptoms do not report vaginal dryness, and others report continued or first onset of pain while using hormones. Vulvodynia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of postmenopausal women presenting with vulvar pain symptoms.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134593/1/40695_2016_Article_17.pd

Effect of lung compliance and endotracheal tube leakage on measurement of tidal volume

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this laboratory study was to measure the effect of decreased lung compliance and endotracheal tube (ETT) leakage on measured exhaled tidal volume at the airway and at the ventilator, in a research study with a test lung. METHODS: The subjects were infant, adult and pediatric test lungs. In the test lung model, lung compliances were set to normal and to levels seen in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Set tidal volume was 6 ml/kg across a range of simulated weights and ETT sizes. Data were recorded from both the ventilator light-emitting diode display and the CO(2)SMO Plus monitor display by a single observer. Effective tidal volume was calculated from a standard equation. RESULTS: In all test lung models, exhaled tidal volume measured at the airway decreased markedly with decreasing lung compliance, but measurement at the ventilator showed minimal change. In the absence of a simulated ETT leak, calculation of the effective tidal volume led to measurements very similar to exhaled tidal volume measured at the ETT. With a simulated ETT tube leak, the effective tidal volume markedly overestimated tidal volume measured at the airway. CONCLUSION: Previous investigators have emphasized the need to measure tidal volume at the ETT for all children. When ETT leakage is minimal, it seems from our simulated lung models that calculation of effective tidal volume would give similar readings to tidal volume measured at the airway, even in small patients. Future studies of tidal volume measurement accuracy in mechanically ventilated children should control for the degree of ETT leakage

Investing in animal health research to alleviate poverty

This presentation starts with a discussion on the need of this study and outlines its framework. It then assesses in detail how to attack poverty, and tries to answer the question where do livestock and their diseases fit in? Then it presents the study design and how it is achieved. It then presents a quantitative assessment of poverty, and looks into qualitative approach, poverty indicators, livestock production systems, priority species for the poor along with their objectives and step to achieving them. It then presents an assessment of disease impact with examples. It then examines the distribution of poverty, the association of livestock species with the poor, animal diseases and their impact on the poor, and zoonotic diseases and their impact on the poor. It also presents in detail disease impact ranking. The role of research in alleviating poverty through animal health; research opportunities for the development and adaptation of disease control technologies targeted at the poor and for their delivery adoption and impact; the balance between diseases with the highest impact and the opportunities for research on their better control (a synthesis of research priorities) are other topics of discussion. The paper concludes its discussion with examining issues like generic areas from the field, generic delivery and adoption issues, synthesis of opportunities derived from all sources, and the balance between diseases with the highest impact and the opportunities for research on their better control. The presentation ends with a summary of funding requirements and sources

Relating smoking, obesity, insulin resistance, and ovarian biomarker changes to the final menstrual period

To determine if smoking, obesity, and insulin resistance mediated age at final menstrual period (FMP), we examined anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin B, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) as biomarkers of changing follicle status and ovarian aging. We performed a longitudinal data analysis from a cohort of premenopausal women followed to their FMP. Our results found that smokers had an earlier age at FMP ( P < 0.003) and a more rapid decline in their AMH slope relative to age at FMP ( P < 0.002). Smokers had a lower baseline inhibin B level relative to age at the FMP than nonsmokers ( P = 0.002). Increasing insulin resistance was associated with a shorter time to FMP ( P < 0.003) and associations of obesity and time to FMP were observed ( P = 0.004, in model with FSH). Change in ovarian biomarkers did not mediate the time to FMP. We found that smoking was associated with age at FMP and modified associations of AMH and inhibin B with age at FMP. Insulin resistance was associated with shorter time to FMP independent of the biomarkers. Interventions targeting smoking and insulin resistance could curtail the undue advancement of reproductive aging.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79293/1/j.1749-6632.2010.05523.x.pd

The value of follicle-stimulating hormone concentration and clinical findings as markers of the late menopausal transition

CONTEXT: The Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop proposed bleeding and hormonal criteria for the menopausal transition, but operational definitions of hormone parameters were not specified. OBJECTIVE: This paper investigates the longitudinal relationship of annual serum FSH levels with four proposed bleeding criteria for the late menopausal transition in two cohort studies. The goal is to provide empirically based guidance regarding application of hormonal criteria that may be optimal for widespread application in clinical and research settings for assessing menopausal stage. DESIGN/SETTING: Prospective menstrual calendar and annual serum FSH data were collected from two population-based cohort studies: the Melbourne Women\u27s Midlife Health Project and the Study of Women\u27s Health Across the Nation. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the study were 193 Melbourne Women\u27s Midlife Health Project and 2223 Study of Women\u27s Health Across the Nation women aged 42-57 yr at baseline who contributed 10 or more menstrual cycles and at least one annual serum FSH value. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Association between bleeding criteria for the late menopausal transition and FSH was a main outcome measure. Associations of bleeding criteria, FSH, and hot flashes with the final menstrual period were also measured. RESULTS: A single FSH measure is an independent marker of the late menopausal transition, but FSH concentrations are less predictive of menopausal stage than any of four proposed bleeding criteria. Criterion FSH values for the late transition are similar across both studies. Experience of hot flashes adds no information in the presence of hormonal and bleeding criteria. CONCLUSIONS: An annual serum FSH concentration of 40 IU/liter could be incorporated, in conjunction with bleeding markers, into the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop paradigm for markers of the late menopausal transition

Do not drop: Mechanical shock in vials causes cavitation, protein aggregation and particle formation

Industry experience suggests that g-forces sustained when vials containing protein formulations are accidentally dropped can cause aggregation and particle formation. To study this phenomenon, a shock tower was used to apply controlled g-forces to glass vials containing formulations of two monoclonal antibodies and recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). High-speed video analysis showed cavitation bubbles forming within 30 μs and subsequently collapsing in the formulations. As a result of echoing shock waves, bubbles collapsed and reappeared periodically over a millisecond timecourse. Fluid mechanics simulations showed low-pressure regions within the fluid where cavitation would be favored. A hydroxyphenylfluorescein assay determined that cavitation produced hydroxyl radicals. When mechanical shock was applied to vials containing protein formulations, gelatinous particles appeared on the vial walls. Size exclusion chromatographic analysis of the formulations after shock did not detect changes in monomer or soluble aggregate concentrations. However, subvisible particle counts determined by microflow image analysis increased. The mass of protein attached to the vial walls increased with increasing drop height. Both protein in bulk solution and protein that became attached to the vial walls after shock were analyzed by mass spectrometry. rhGH recovered from the vial walls in some samples revealed oxidation of Met and/or Trp residues

Changes in androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, estradiol, and estrone over the menopausal transition

Abstract Background Previous reports have noted that dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) increases prior to the final menstrual period (FMP) and remains stable beyond the FMP. How DHEAS concentrations correspond with other sex hormones across the menopausal transition (MT) including androstenedione (A4), testosterone (T), estrone (E1), and estradiol (E2) is not known. Our objective was to examine how DHEAS, A4, T, E1, and E2 changed across the MT by White vs. African-American (AA) race/ethnicity. Methods We conducted a longitudinal observational analysis of a subgroup of women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation observed over 4 visits prior to and 4 visits after the FMP (n = 110 women over 9 years for 990 observations). The main outcome measures were DHEAS, A4, T, E1, and E2. Results Compared to the decline in E2 concentrations, androgen concentrations declined minimally over the MT. T (β 9.180, p < 0.0001) and E1 (β 11.365, p < 0.0001) were higher in Whites than in AAs, while elevations in DHEAS (β 28.80, p = 0.061) and A4 (β 0.2556, p = 0.052) were borderline. Log-transformed E2 was similar between Whites and AAs (β 0.0764, p = 0.272). Body mass index (BMI) was not significantly associated with concentrations of androgens or E1 over time. Conclusion This report suggests that the declines in E2 during the 4 years before and after the FMP are accompanied by minimal changes in DHEAS, A4, T, and E1. There are modest differences between Whites and AAs and minimal differences by BMI.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138836/1/40695_2017_Article_28.pd

Combined TLR and CD40 Triggering Induces Potent CD8+ T Cell Expansion with Variable Dependence on Type I IFN

Toll-like receptors are important in the activation of innate immunity, and CD40 is a molecule critical for many T and B cell responses. Whereas agonists for either pathway have been used as vaccine adjuvants, we show that a combination of Toll-like receptor (TLR)7 and CD40 agonists synergize to stimulate CD8+ T cell responses 10–20-fold greater than the use of either agonist alone. Antigen-specific CD8+ T cells elicited from combination CD40/TLR7 treatment demonstrated both lytic activities and interferon (IFN)γ production and an enhanced secondary response to antigenic challenge. Agonists for TLRs 2/6, 3, 4, and 9 also synergized with CD40 stimulation, demonstrating that synergy with the CD40 pathway is a property of TLR-derived stimuli in general. The CD8+ T cell expansion induced by CD40/TLR7 triggering was independent of CD4+ T cells, IFNγ, and IL-12 but dependent on B7-mediated costimulation and surprisingly on type I IFN. These studies provide the rational basis for the use of TLR and CD40 agonists together as essential adjuvants to optimize vaccines designed to elicit protective or therapeutic immunity