Small Bowel Obstruction Following Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Enterography Using Psyllium Seed Husk As an Oral Contrast Agent

The authors report a case series describing four patients who developed small bowel obstruction following the use of psyllium seed husk as an oral contrast agent for computed tomography or magnetic resonance enterography. Radiologists who oversee computed tomography and magnetic resonance enterography should be aware of this potential complication when using psyllium seed husk and other bulking agents, particularly when imaging patients with known or suspected small bowel strictures or active inflammation

BRIEF REPORT: Needlestick Injury and Inadequate Post-Exposure Practice in Medical Students

BACKGROUND: Medical students are at a particularly high risk for needlestick injury and its consequences because of their relative inexperience and lack of disability insurance. OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of needlestick injury and the use of post-exposure prophylaxis among medical students. DESIGN: Internet-based survey. PARTICIPANTS: The 2003 graduating medical school class at the University of Toronto. MEASUREMENTS: Number of needlestick injuries, circumstances surrounding those incidents, and post-exposure actions. RESULTS: The response rate was 88% (157/178). Over one third (55/157) of respondents suffered at least 1 needlestick injury. In more than half the high-risk injuries, the students continued working and did not seek medical advice. Six students who suffered a needlestick injury began prophylactic human immunodeficiency virus medications. Of those students who suffered an injury, 15% had purchased disability insurance prior to the incident. CONCLUSIONS: Poor use of post-exposure procedures and a lack of disability insurance leave medical students at high risk for career and life-altering consequences from a needlestick injury

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data