Riparian Meadow Response to Modern Conservation Grazing Management.

Riparian meadows occupy a small proportion of the public lands in the western United States but they provide numerous ecosystem services, including the production of high-quality forage for livestock grazing. Modern conservation management strategies (e.g., reductions in livestock stocking rates and adoption of new riparian grazing standards) have been implemented to better balance riparian conservation and livestock production objectives on publicly managed lands. We examined potential relationships between long-term changes in plant community, livestock grazing pressure and environmental conditions at two spatial scales in meadows grazed under conservation management strategies. Changes in plant community were not associated with either livestock stocking rate or precipitation at the grazing allotment (i.e., administrative) scale. Alternatively, both grazing pressure and precipitation had significant, albeit modest, associations with changes in plant community at the meadow (i.e., ecological site) scale. These results suggest that reductions in stocking rate have improved the balance between riparian conservation and livestock production goals. However, associations between elevation, site wetness, precipitation, and changes in plant community suggest that changing climate conditions (e.g., reduced snowpack and changes in timing of snowmelt) could trigger shifts in plant communities, potentially impacting both conservation and agricultural services (e.g., livestock and forage production). Therefore, adaptive, site-specific management strategies are required to meet grazing pressure limits and safeguard ecosystem services within individual meadows, especially under more variable climate conditions

Wild Horses, Livestock, and Wildlife Use of Springs and Riparian Areas on the Devil\u27s Garden

In Modoc County, located in northeastern California there is a unique rangeland area heavily populated by wild horses and managed primarily by United States Forest Service known as the Devil\u27s Garden. Wild horses have significantly exceeded (4000 horses) appropriate management levels (206-402 horses) in recent years and expanded their range outside of the wild horse territory (258,000 acres) and on to private and tribal lands (over 450,000 acres). This increase has prompted concern about resource degradation particularly associated with riparian areas. In otherwise arid sage steppe rangelands, springs provide critical watering sources as well as wildlife habitat for sage grouse, deer, elk, pronghorn, and other wildlife. Our objective is to quantify the relative frequency, duration, and timing of use by horses, permitted livestock, and wildlife at spring locations. We correlate how varying levels of horse and/or livestock use affects spring site vegetation and riparian health standards. Ten representative study locations were selected on the Devil’s Garden and motion sensitive cameras were deployed at each location for 14-day sampling periods during the spring, summer and fall of 2015-2017. All photos were visually assessed to record species present, number of each species, and the time, date, and location of the observation. We present preliminary occupancy data, as well as results of corresponding vegetative cover, plant community, and bank alteration sampling. Implications for management and on-going research are discussed

Pilot istraživanje Clostridium difficile infekcija u bolesnika s proljevom u zdravstvenim ustanovama u Tbilisiju, Gruzija

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most frequent cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea and is increasingly recognized in the community. The epidemiology of CDI in Georgia is unknown. Methods: Pilot surveillance for CDI among patients with diarrhoea was conducted in four hospital ICUs, and three outpatient clinics in Tbilisi, Georgia. Demographic, clinical and treatment data of patients with CDI were collected from medical records. A CDI diagnosis was made if the stool sample was positive for C. difficile toxin A and/or B by nucleic acid amplification test or enzyme immunoassay, or by culture of a toxin-producing C. difficile. Results: A total of 131 patients with new onset diarrhoeal illness were recruited. Of these, laboratory confirmed CDI was found in 24% (31/131): 32% (17/53) of adult and 20% (11/55) of paediatric ICU patients, 22% (2/9) adult and 7% (1/14) of paediatric outpatients. Presenting symptoms were fever (>380C) and diarrhoea with a median duration 7 days. Most CDI cases received antibiotics before diagnosis; 94% of adults and 91% of children diagnosed in the ICU (median: 12 days); the majority receiving simultaneously two or more antibiotics. In the outpatient settings, 100% of CDI case-patients received an antibiotic for a median duration of 7 days. Conclusions: This pilot surveillance demonstrated that C. difficile is a common cause of diarrhoea in hospitalized and community patients in Georgia. It highlights the need to improve the knowledge of medical providers regarding the burden of CDI and to establish diagnostic testing at hospital laboratories.Uvod: Infekcije uzrokovane Clostridium difficile (CDI) najčešći su uzrok proljeva povezanog sa zdravstvenom skrbi i sve se više prepoznaju u zajednici. Epidemiologija C.difficile infekcija u Gruziji nije poznata. Metode: Pilot istraživanje C.difficile infekcija kod bolesnika s proljevom provedeno je u četiri bolničke jedinice za intenzivno liječenje (JIL) i tri ambulantne klinike u Tbilisiju u Gruziji. Podaci o demografskim i kliničkim karakteristikama te liječenju bolesnika s CDI prikupljeni su iz povijesti bolesti. Dijagnoza C.difficile infekcije postavljena je ukoliko je uzorak stolice bio pozitivan na C. difficile toksin A i/ili B testom amplifikacije nukleinskih kiselina ili metodom enzimskog imunoeseja ili nalazom C. difficile koji proizvode toksine u kulturi. Rezultati: U istraživanje je bio uključen 131 bolesnik s novonastalom dijarealnom bolesti. Od toga je laboratorijski dokazana CDI utvrđena kod 24% (31/131) bolesnika: u 32% (17/53) odraslih i 20% (11/55) djece liječene u JIL-u, 22% (2/9) odraslih i 7% (1/14) pedijatrijskih ambulantnih bolesnika. Simptomi su bili povišena tjelesna temperatura (> 38 ° C) i proljev s prosječnim trajanjem od 7 dana. Većina bolesnika s CDI primila je antibiotik prije postavljanja dijagnoze; 94% odraslih i 91% djece liječene u JIL-u (medijan: 12 dana); većina je istodobno primala dva ili više antibiotika. U ambulantnom okruženju, 100% bolesnika s CDI primilo je antibiotik u prosječnom trajanju od 7 dana. Zaključak: Ovo pilot istraživanje pokazalo je da je C. difficile čest uzrok proljeva u hospitaliziranih i izvanbolničkih pacijenata u Gruziji. Ono naglašava potrebu za poboljšanjem znanja pružatelja zdravstvenih usluga vezano uz probleme koje nose infekcije uzrokovane C. difficile te uspostavom dijagnostičkih testova u bolničkim laboratorijima

Pilot istraživanje Clostridium difficile infekcija u bolesnika s proljevom u zdravstvenim ustanovama u Tbilisiju, Gruzija

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most frequent cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea and is increasingly recognized in the community. The epidemiology of CDI in Georgia is unknown. Methods: Pilot surveillance for CDI among patients with diarrhoea was conducted in four hospital ICUs, and three outpatient clinics in Tbilisi, Georgia. Demographic, clinical and treatment data of patients with CDI were collected from medical records. A CDI diagnosis was made if the stool sample was positive for C. difficile toxin A and/or B by nucleic acid amplification test or enzyme immunoassay, or by culture of a toxin-producing C. difficile. Results: A total of 131 patients with new onset diarrhoeal illness were recruited. Of these, laboratory confirmed CDI was found in 24% (31/131): 32% (17/53) of adult and 20% (11/55) of paediatric ICU patients, 22% (2/9) adult and 7% (1/14) of paediatric outpatients. Presenting symptoms were fever (>380C) and diarrhoea with a median duration 7 days. Most CDI cases received antibiotics before diagnosis; 94% of adults and 91% of children diagnosed in the ICU (median: 12 days); the majority receiving simultaneously two or more antibiotics. In the outpatient settings, 100% of CDI case-patients received an antibiotic for a median duration of 7 days. Conclusions: This pilot surveillance demonstrated that C. difficile is a common cause of diarrhoea in hospitalized and community patients in Georgia. It highlights the need to improve the knowledge of medical providers regarding the burden of CDI and to establish diagnostic testing at hospital laboratories.Uvod: Infekcije uzrokovane Clostridium difficile (CDI) najčešći su uzrok proljeva povezanog sa zdravstvenom skrbi i sve se više prepoznaju u zajednici. Epidemiologija C.difficile infekcija u Gruziji nije poznata. Metode: Pilot istraživanje C.difficile infekcija kod bolesnika s proljevom provedeno je u četiri bolničke jedinice za intenzivno liječenje (JIL) i tri ambulantne klinike u Tbilisiju u Gruziji. Podaci o demografskim i kliničkim karakteristikama te liječenju bolesnika s CDI prikupljeni su iz povijesti bolesti. Dijagnoza C.difficile infekcije postavljena je ukoliko je uzorak stolice bio pozitivan na C. difficile toksin A i/ili B testom amplifikacije nukleinskih kiselina ili metodom enzimskog imunoeseja ili nalazom C. difficile koji proizvode toksine u kulturi. Rezultati: U istraživanje je bio uključen 131 bolesnik s novonastalom dijarealnom bolesti. Od toga je laboratorijski dokazana CDI utvrđena kod 24% (31/131) bolesnika: u 32% (17/53) odraslih i 20% (11/55) djece liječene u JIL-u, 22% (2/9) odraslih i 7% (1/14) pedijatrijskih ambulantnih bolesnika. Simptomi su bili povišena tjelesna temperatura (> 38 ° C) i proljev s prosječnim trajanjem od 7 dana. Većina bolesnika s CDI primila je antibiotik prije postavljanja dijagnoze; 94% odraslih i 91% djece liječene u JIL-u (medijan: 12 dana); većina je istodobno primala dva ili više antibiotika. U ambulantnom okruženju, 100% bolesnika s CDI primilo je antibiotik u prosječnom trajanju od 7 dana. Zaključak: Ovo pilot istraživanje pokazalo je da je C. difficile čest uzrok proljeva u hospitaliziranih i izvanbolničkih pacijenata u Gruziji. Ono naglašava potrebu za poboljšanjem znanja pružatelja zdravstvenih usluga vezano uz probleme koje nose infekcije uzrokovane C. difficile te uspostavom dijagnostičkih testova u bolničkim laboratorijima

Livestock Protection Tools for California Ranchers

Conflicts between livestock and predators are perhaps inevitable, especially on extensively managed rangelands This publication helps producers evaluate livestock lethal and non-lethal protection tools that may fit their site-specific needs

Detection of Ongoing Mass Loss from HD 63433c, a Young Mini-Neptune

We detect Lyα absorption from the escaping atmosphere of HD 63433c, a R = 2.67R⊕, P = 20.5 day mini-Neptune orbiting a young (440 Myr) solar analog in the Ursa Major Moving Group. Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, we measure a transit depth of 11.1 ± 1.5% in the blue wing and 8 ± 3% in the red. This signal is unlikely to be due to stellar variability, but should be confirmed by an upcoming second transit observation with HST. We do not detect Lyα absorption from the inner planet, a smaller R = 2.15R⊕ mini-Neptune on a 7.1 day orbit. We use Keck/NIRSPEC to place an upper limit of 0.5% on helium absorption for both planets. We measure the host star\u27s X-ray spectrum and mid-ultraviolet flux with XMM-Newton, and model the outflow from both planets using a 3D hydrodynamic code. This model provides a reasonable match to the light curve in the blue wing of the Lyα line and the helium nondetection for planet c, although it does not explain the tentative red wing absorption or reproduce the excess absorption spectrum in detail. Its predictions of strong Lyα and helium absorption from b are ruled out by the observations. This model predicts a much shorter mass-loss timescale for planet b, suggesting that b and c are fundamentally different: while the latter still retains its hydrogen/helium envelope, the former has likely lost its primordial atmosphere

Detection of ongoing mass loss from HD 63433c, a young mini-Neptune

L.D.S. and D.E. acknowledge that this project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (project Four Aces grant agreement No. 724427), and it has been carried out in the frame of the National Centre for Competence in Research PlanetS supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). T.G.W. acknowledges support from STFC consolidated grant No. ST/R000824/1. S.H. acknowledges CNES funding through the grant 837319. S.H. acknowledges CNES funding through the grant 837319. G.W.H. acknowledges long-term support of the APT program from NASA, NSF, Tennessee State University, and the State of Tennessee through its Centers of Excellence Program.We detect Lyα absorption from the escaping atmosphere of HD 63433c, a R = 2.67R⊕, P = 20.5 day mini-Neptune orbiting a young (440 Myr) solar analog in the Ursa Major Moving Group. Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, we measure a transit depth of 11.1 ± 1.5% in the blue wing and 8 ± 3% in the red. This signal is unlikely to be due to stellar variability, but should be confirmed by an upcoming second transit observation with HST. We do not detect Lyα absorption from the inner planet, a smaller R = 2.15R⊕ mini-Neptune on a 7.1 day orbit. We use Keck/NIRSPEC to place an upper limit of 0.5% on helium absorption for both planets. We measure the host star’s X-ray spectrum and mid-ultraviolet flux with XMM-Newton, and model the outflow from both planets using a 3D hydrodynamic code. This model provides a reasonable match to the light curve in the blue wing of the Lyα line and the helium nondetection for planet c, although it does not explain the tentative red wing absorption or reproduce the excess absorption spectrum in detail. Its predictions of strong Lyα and helium absorption from b are ruled out by the observations. This model predicts a much shorter mass-loss timescale for planet b, suggesting that b and c are fundamentally different: while the latter still retains its hydrogen/helium envelope, the former has likely lost its primordial atmosphere.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Association of intravenous thrombolysis and pre-interventional reperfusion: a post hoc analysis of the SWIFT DIRECT trial.

BACKGROUND A potential benefit of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is pre-interventional reperfusion. Currently, there are few data on the occurrence of pre-interventional reperfusion in patients randomized to IVT or no IVT before MT. METHODS SWIFT DIRECT (Solitaire With the Intention For Thrombectomy Plus Intravenous t-PA vs DIRECT Solitaire Stent-retriever Thrombectomy in Acute Anterior Circulation Stroke) was a randomized controlled trial including acute ischemic stroke IVT eligible patients being directly admitted to a comprehensive stroke center, with allocation to IVT with MT versus MT alone. The primary endpoint of this analysis was the occurrence of pre-interventional reperfusion, defined as a pre-interventional expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of ≥2a. The effect of IVT and potential treatment effect heterogeneity were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Of 396 patients, pre-interventional reperfusion occurred in 20 (10.0%) patients randomized to IVT with MT, and in 7 (3.6%) patients randomized to MT alone. Receiving IVT favored the occurrence of pre-interventional reperfusion (adjusted OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.23 to 6.87). There was no IVT treatment effect heterogeneity on the occurrence of pre-interventional reperfusion with different strata of Randomization-to-Groin-Puncture time (p for interaction=0.33), although the effect tended to be stronger in patients with a Randomization-to-Groin-Puncture time >28 min (adjusted OR 4.65, 95% CI 1.16 to 18.68). There were no significant differences in rates of functional outcomes between patients with and without pre-interventional reperfusion. CONCLUSION Even for patients with proximal large vessel occlusions and direct access to MT, IVT resulted in an absolute increase of 6% in rates of pre-interventional reperfusion. The influence of time strata on the occurrence of pre-interventional reperfusion should be studied further in an individual patient data meta-analysis of comparable trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER clinicaltrials.gov NCT03192332

Global distribution of Bartonella infections in domestic bovine and characterization of Bartonella bovis strains using multi-locus sequence typing

Bartonella bovis is commonly detected in cattle. One B. bovis strain was recently isolated from a cow with endocarditis in the USA, suggesting its role as an animal pathogen. In the present study, we investigated bartonella infections in 893 cattle from five countries (Kenya, Thailand, Japan, Georgia, and Guatemala) and 103 water buffaloes from Thailand to compare the prevalence of the infection among different regions and different bovid hosts. We developed a multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme based on nine loci (16S rRNA, gltA, ftsZ, groEL, nuoG, ribC, rpoB, ssrA, and ITS) to compare genetic divergence of B. bovis strains, including 26 representatives from the present study and two previously described reference strains (one from French cows and another from a cow with endocarditis in the USA). Bartonella bacteria were cultured in 6.8% (7/103) of water buffaloes from Thailand; all were B. bovis. The prevalence of bartonella infections in cattle varied tremendously across the investigated regions. In Japan, Kenya, and the Mestia district of Georgia, cattle were free from the infection; in Thailand, Guatemala, and the Dusheti and Marneuli districts of Georgia, cattle were infected with prevalences of 10–90%. The Bartonella isolates from cattle belonged to three species: B. bovis (n=165), B. chomelii (n=9), and B. schoenbuchensis (n=1), with the latter two species found in Georgia only. MLST analysis suggested genetic variations among the 28 analyzed B. bovis strains, which fall into 3 lineages (I, II, and III). Lineages I and II were found in cattle while lineage III was restricted to water buffaloes. The majority of strains (17/28), together with the strain causing endocarditis in a cow in the USA, belonged to lineage I. Further investigations are needed to determine whether B. bovis causes disease in bovids.Specimens from cattle in Kenya were collected under a project supported by the Wellcome Trust, UK (grant number 081828/B/06/Z).http://www.plosone.orgam2014ab201

Mononeuritis multiplex following immune checkpoint inhibitors in malignant pleural mesothelioma

IntroductionMononeuritis multiplex is frequently related to vasculitic neuropathy and has been reported only sporadically as an adverse event of immune checkpoint inhibitors.MethodsCase series of three patients with mononeuritis multiplex—all with mesothelioma—identified in the databases of two French clinical networks (French Reference Center for Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes, Lyon; OncoNeuroTox, Paris; January 2015–October 2022) set up to collect and investigate n-irAEs on a nationwide level.ResultsThree patients (male; median age 86 years; range 72–88 years) had pleural mesothelioma and received 10, 4, and 6 cycles, respectively, of first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab combined therapy. In patient 1, the neurological symptoms involved the median nerves, and in the other two patients, there was a more diffuse distribution; the symptoms were severe (common terminology criteria for adverse events, CTCAE grade 3) in all patients. Nerve conduction studies indicated mononeuritis multiplex in all patients. Peripheral nerve biopsy demonstrated necrotizing vasculitis in patients 1 and 3 and marked IgA deposition without inflammatory lesions in patient 2. Immune checkpoint inhibitors were permanently withdrawn, and corticosteroids were administered to all patients, leading to complete symptom regression (CTCAE grade 0, patient 2) or partial improvement (CTCAE grade 2, patients 1 and 3). During steroid tapering, patient 1 experienced symptom recurrence and spreading to other nerve territories (CTCAE grade 3); he improved 3 months after rituximab and cyclophosphamide administration.DiscussionWe report the occurrence of mononeuritis multiplex, a very rare adverse event of immune checkpoint inhibitors, in the three patients with mesothelioma. Clinicians must be aware of this severe, yet treatable adverse event