Population genomics of grey wolves and wolf-like canids in North America

North America is currently home to a number of grey wolf (Canis lupus) and wolf-like canid populations, including the coyote (Canis latrans) and the taxonomically controversial red, Eastern timber and Great Lakes wolves. We explored their population structure and regional gene flow using a dataset of 40 full genome sequences that represent the extant diversity of North American wolves and wolf-like canid populations. This included 15 new genomes (13 North American grey wolves, 1 red wolf and 1 Eastern timber/Great Lakes wolf), ranging from 0.4 to 15x coverage. In addition to providing full genome support for the previously proposed coyote-wolf admixture origin for the taxonomically controversial red, Eastern timber and Great Lakes wolves, the discriminatory power offered by our dataset suggests all North American grey wolves, including the Mexican form, are monophyletic, and thus share a common ancestor to the exclusion of all other wolves. Furthermore, we identify three distinct populations in the high arctic, one being a previously unidentified "Polar wolf" population endemic to Ellesmere Island and Greenland. Genetic diversity analyses reveal particularly high inbreeding and low heterozygosity in these Polar wolves, consistent with long-term isolation from the other North American wolves

Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, vitrectomy, and gas for recent submacular hemorrhage displacement due to retinal macroaneurysm

The visual prognosis of submacular hemorrhages caused by a retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM) is poor if left untreated. The use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) has frequently been reported to displace submacular hemorrhages from the foveal area in patients with age-related macular degeneration. This study aims to investigate the results of displacement of recent-onset submacular hemorrhages due to RAM. Institutional retrospective interventional case series of 12 patients with macular hemorrhage due to RAM, who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV); followed in 11 by submacular injection of rtPA and gas tamponade. The main outcome measures were displacement of the hemorrhage, complication rate, and visual acuity at 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up visit. One month after surgery, the hemorrhage had been successfully displaced in ten out of 11 patients. In these ten patients, visual acuity (VA) increased by a mean of 1.2 logMAR at 1 month after surgery. At the last follow-up visit, the mean increase was 1.5 logMAR. Complications consisted of a vitreous hemorrhage and hyphema, retinal detachment, a new submacular hemorrhage, and vitreous hemorrhage after argon laser retinal photocoagulation of the RAM. PPV with submacular rtPA and gas injection may successfully displace a recently developed submacular hemorrhage in patients with RAM, with a marked improvement in VA that is likely to be greater than if left untreated