Rabies prophylaxis after an animal attack that caused a ruptured eye and traumatic cataract: a case report

Introduction: We report on a patient with an animal bite eye injury, his surgical treatment and proper rabies immunoglobulin administration. Case presentation: A 33-year-old Turkey hunter was attacked by a bobcat and his injuries included a ruptured globe with corneal laceration, two iris sphincter tears, and a ruptured anterior capsule with a traumatic cataract. Rabies vaccination was started, primary closure of the corneal laceration, an anterior chamber washout and one week later cataract surgery were performed. Three months postoperatively he achieved an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/50 and a best corrected visual acuity of 20/20. Conclusion: Bobcat attacks on humans are very rare and extremely suspicious for rabies infection of the animal. Ophthalmologists need to be aware of the importance of immediate and appropriate post exposure rabies vaccination. Proper rabies immunoglobulin administration in the setting of globe injuries is challenging and we report on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for globe injuries

On the factors affecting trends and variability in tropical cyclone potential intensity

Tropical cyclone potential intensity (V[subscript p]) is controlled by thermodynamic air-sea disequilibrium and thermodynamic efficiency, which is a function of the sea surface temperature and the tropical cyclone’s outflow temperature. Observed trends and variability in V[subscript p] in each ocean basin are decomposed into contributions from these two components. Robustly detectable trends are found only in the North Atlantic, where tropical tropopause layer (TTL) cooling contributes up to a third of the increase in Vp. The contribution from disequilibrium dominates the few statistically significant V[subscript p] trends in the other basins. The results are sensitive to the data set used and details of the V[subscript p] calculation, reflecting uncertainties in TTL temperature trends and the difficulty of estimating V[subscript p] and its components. We also find that 20–71% of the interannual variability in V[subscript p] is linked to the TTL, with correlations between detrended time series of thermodynamic efficiency and V[subscript p] occurring over all ocean basins.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (grant AGS-1342810)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (AGS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship under award 1433251

The role of interleukin-1 in neuroinflammation and Alzheimer disease: an evolving perspective

Elevation of the proinflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is an integral part of the local tissue reaction to central nervous system (CNS) insult. The discovery of increased IL-1 levels in patients following acute injury and in chronic neurodegenerative disease laid the foundation for two decades of research that has provided important details regarding IL-1's biology and function in the CNS. IL-1 elevation is now recognized as a critical component of the brain's patterned response to insults, termed neuroinflammation, and of leukocyte recruitment to the CNS. These processes are believed to underlie IL-1's function in the setting of acute brain injury, where it has been ascribed potential roles in repair as well as in exacerbation of damage. Explorations of IL-1's role in chronic neurodegenerative disease have mainly focused on Alzheimer disease (AD), where indirect evidence has implicated it in disease pathogenesis. However, recent observations in animal models challenge earlier assumptions that IL-1 elevation and resulting neuroinflammatory processes play a purely detrimental role in AD, and prompt a need for new characterizations of IL-1 function. Potentially adaptive functions of IL-1 elevation in AD warrant further mechanistic studies, and provide evidence that enhancement of these effects may help to alleviate the pathologic burden of disease

High-cut harvesting of maize stover and genotype choice can provide improved feed for ruminants and stubble for conservation agriculture

In smallholder crop–livestock systems where maize (Zea mays L.) is a staple cereal, the stover is usually an important but low-quality ruminant feed. Maize stover has various competing uses, and optimal allocation of stover, particularly for forage and mulch, is essential for improving whole-farm productivity and sustainability. Knowledge that feed quality increases with height in maize stover provides opportunities. An experiment investigated the effects of a high cutting height of stover at grain harvest (cut at two internodes below the lowest ear) on the yields and feed quality of the upper and lower stover (stubble) fractions. Measurements were made on six maize genotypes at two sites during two cropping seasons in Ethiopia. The upper stover fraction (USF) on average comprised 674 g kg–1 of the entire stover and was also substantially higher (P <.001) than the lower stover fraction (LSF) in in vitro dry matter digestibility (527 vs. 450 g kg−1 dry matter [DM]) and total N concentrations (8.8 vs. 6.2 g kg−1 DM) and was lower in fiber. Stems (including leaf sheath and tassel), husks (including shank), and leaf blade comprised 484, 310, and 206 g kg−1 of the USF, respectively. Yields and feed quality of stover varied among genotypes and environments. Use of an USF can provide a feedstuff of increased nutritional quality for ruminants, but the efficacy of the LSF for mulch requires investigation. In conclusion, a simple management change to harvest maize stover at higher stubble height combined with use of appropriate genotypes can provide higher-quality feed while leaving stubble for conservation agriculture

Can partial reduction of shoot biomass during early vegetative phase of chickpea save subsoil water for reproductive and pod filling?

The present study investigated if partial reduction of shoot dry matter during early vegetative growth phase of chickpea crop (cv. PBA Seamer) saves sub-soil water for reproductive growth and grain filling of the crop grown at 9 diverse environments. The environments were created by a combination of 3 sites (Emerald, Hermitage and Kingaroy), 3 planting windows (environments 1, 2, 3 at each site) with and without supplementary irrigation. The effects of environments on canopy management (partial reduction in shoot dry matter vs control) and irrigation treatments on the water uptake by roots, crop growth and yield performance and yield components were investigated. Crops in the planting windows (EN 1, 2, 3) experienced variable environments at each site. Days to 50% flowering and crop maturity reduced progressively from EN 1 to EN 3 at the three sites. The environment had significant effect on shoot biomass, yield and HI at the three sites (P  0.5 in EN 2 at Emerald. There was a trend for an increase in HI from EN 1 to EN 3 at all sites. The response to Irr, computed as the difference in peak shoot biomass and yield between the Irr and RF treatments, was the highest at Hermitage and the least at Emerald site. Vapour pressure deficit during reproductive phase accounted for the majority of variation in shoot biomass response to irrigation (r2 =0.66, P < 0.001) for total dry matter and (r2 =0.46, P < 0.01) for yield. The environments had a significant effect on radiation use efficiency and water use efficiency and the yield components including hundred seed weight

A prospective 3-year follow-up trial of implantation of two trabecular microbypass stents in open-angle glaucoma

PURPOSE: To evaluate 3-year safety and intraocular pressure (IOP) following two trabecular microbypass stents in phakic and pseudophakic subjects with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) not controlled on preoperative medication. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective pilot study, phakic or pseudophakic subjects with OAG and IOP between 18 mmHg and 30 mmHg on one preoperative topical ocular hypotensive medication underwent medication washout. Thirty-nine qualified subjects with preoperative unmedicated IOP ≥22 mmHg and ≤38 mmHg received two stents. Postoperative examinations were scheduled at Day 1, Week 1, Months 1, 3, 6, and 12, and semiannually through Month 60. Ocular hypotensive medication was considered if postoperative IOP exceeded 21 mmHg. IOP, medication use, and safety were assessed at each visit. Subject follow-up through Month 36 was completed. RESULTS: Thirty-six eyes (92.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 79.1%, 98.4%) achieved the primary efficacy end point of Month 12 reduction in IOP ≥20% from baseline (unmedicated IOP) without ocular hypotensive medication. Four subjects required medication during the Month 36 follow-up period. Mean IOP at 36 months for subjects not taking medication was 15.2 mmHg. At 36 months, subjects sustained mean IOP decrease of 9.1±2.7 mmHg (95% CI 8.0 mmHg, 10.14 mmHg), or 37% IOP reduction, from unmedicated baseline IOP. Compared to preoperative medicated IOP, subjects had mean reduction at Month 36 of 5.5±2.7 mmHg (95% CI 4.5 mmHg, 6.6 mmHg), or 26% reduction. Both measures of IOP reduction were highly significant (P<0.001). Other than one case of early postoperative hyphema that resolved at 1 week, no postoperative adverse events were attributed to stent implantation. CONCLUSION: In a pilot study, two trabecular microbypass stents to treat OAG subjects on one preoperative medication provided statistically significant, sustained, and safe reduction of IOP to ≤15 mmHg without medication through 36 months

Mechanisms of deaths in captive juvenile New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri)

Abstract Juvenile seals are sometimes encountered in waters around South Australia with injuries and/or diseases that require veterinary treatment. Two cases are reported where apparently stable animals died soon after being rescued due to quite disparate conditions. In Case 1 a juvenile male New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) was found unexpectedly dead in its enclosure. A necropsy examination revealed an emaciated juvenile male with no injuries. The intestine was filled throughout its length with melena stool that was due to heavy infestation of the stomach with roundworms with adjacent gastritis. Death was due to shock from upper gastrointestinal blood loss secondary to parasitosis. In Case 2 a second juvenile male New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) also died unexpectedly in its enclosure. It had been listless with loud respirations since capture. At necropsy there was no blood around the head, neck or mouth, and no acute external injuries were identified. An area of induration was, however, present over the snout with fragmentation of underlying bones. The maxilla was freely mobile and CT scanning revealed multiple comminuted fractures of the adjacent facial skeleton. Examination of the defleshed skull showed fragmentation of the facial skeleton with roughening of bones in keeping with osteomyelitis. Death was attributed to sepsis from osteomyelitis of a comminuted midfacial fracture. These cases demonstrate two unusual and occult conditions that may be present in recently retrieved juvenile fur seals. Failure to establish the correct diagnosis rapidly may result in death soon after capture. The usefulness of imaging techniques such as CT scanning in delineating underlying injuries prior to necropsy is clearly demonstrated

Seizures and Encephalitis in Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein IgG Disease vs Aquaporin 4 IgG Disease

Importance: Antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein IgG (MOG-IgG) are increasingly detected in patients with non–multiple sclerosis–related demyelination, some of whom manifest a neuromyelitis optica (NMO) phenotype. Cortical involvement, encephalopathy, and seizures are rare in aquaporin 4 antibody (AQP4-IgG)–related NMO in the white European population. However, the authors encountered several patients with seizures associated with MOG-IgG disease. Objective: To compare incidence of seizures and encephalitis-like presentation, or both between AQP4-IgG–positive and MOG-IgG–positive patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective case series of all patients who were seropositive for MOG-IgG (n = 34) and the last 100 patients with AQP4-IgG disease (NMO spectrum disorder) seen in the NMO service between January 2013 and December 2016, and analysis was completed January 4, 2017. All patients were seen in a tertiary neurological center, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, England. Main Outcomes and Measures: The difference in seizure frequency between the AQP4-IgG–positive and MOG-IgG–positive patient groups was determined. Results: Thirty-four patients with MOG-IgG disease (20 female) with a median age at analysis of 30.5 years (interquartile range [IQR], 15-69 years), and 100 AQP4-IgG–positive patients (86 female) with a median age at analysis of 54 years (IQR, 12-91 years) were studied. Most patients were of white race. Five of the 34 patients with MOG-IgG (14.7%) had seizures compared with 1 patient with AQP4-IgG (2-sided P < .008, Fisher test). On magnetic resonance imaging, all 5 MOG-IgG–positive patients had inflammatory cortical brain lesions associated with the seizures. In 3 of the 5 MOG-IgG–positive patients, seizures occurred as part of the index event. Four of the 5 presented with encephalopathy and seizures, and disease relapsed in all 5 patients. Four of these patients were receiving immunosuppressant medication at last follow-up, and 3 continued to take antiepileptic medication. In contrast, the only AQP4-IgG–positive patient with seizures had a diagnosis of complex partial epilepsy preceding the onset of NMO by several years and experienced no encephalitic illness; her magnetic resonance imaging results demonstrated no cortical, subcortical, or basal ganglia involvement. Conclusions and Relevance: Patients with MOG-IgG–associated disease were more likely to have seizures and encephalitis-like presentation than patients with AQP4-IgG–associated disease