Scat Based Dietary Analysis of Beaver Hills Canids

Recently, the Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area (BPRA), has been recolonized by wolves, an apex predator.  The potential inclusion of domestic ungulates into the wolf diet through depredation events poses concerns for the local grazing community. Additionally, the arrival of an apex predator may have trophic consequences for the coyote, the current top predator in the BPRA. The diet of canids in the BPRA is being determined using scat analysis. A small sample of each collected scat is cleaned with acetone to isolate twenty representative hairs and/or presence of other food for identification. During the summer season, results indicate that canid diet is primarily composed of insects, berries, and small mammals. A comparison of the girth and composition of canid scat suggests that as scat diameter increases the likelihood of the scat containing large mammals and plants increases, as does the likelihood of a given scat being from a wolf. Smaller scats were found to contain more insects and small mammals. These results suggest that, during the summer of 2015, domestic ungulates play a very small role in the diet of canids, an observation confirmed by the grazing association as only one calf was depredated.  The results also suggest that the recolonizing and resident canids are currently competing in terms of diet but that as the wolf population increases we expect to see a divergence in diet due to resource partitioning.  Further genetic work to confirm the species of scat is ongoing. *Indicates faculty mentor

Spatial and temporal wolf distribution in the Beaver Hills

Wolves have recently recolonized the Beaver Hills region.  The return of an apex predator may present interesting trophic consequences as well as being of management concern for agricultural activity in this landscape.  Over approximately the past year wolf presence and movements have been monitored in Elk Island National Park (EINP) and the Cooking-Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area (BPRA) using remote camera traps. During this time, we have processed approximately 190,000 images and recorded 79 unique wolf observations. Using these remote images, we describe the spatial distribution of wildlife at camera sites.  Similarly using GIS, we compare the diversity of wildlife observed at a particular camera location to the diversity of habitat types associated with the camera’s location.  Secondly, we describe the temporal distribution of wildlife activity in EINP and BPRA as indicated by the distribution of when remote images were captured.  Thirdly, we have observed a relationship between the proportions of wolves at cameras compared to coyotes. As the wolves recolonize EINP and BPRA, we hypothesize that we should observe spatial partitioning between them and the resident coyote population.  However, we found that the number of wolf and coyote images was correlated across sites suggesting that the wolf population is currently not high enough to limit coyote activity through competitive exclusion.  The results of these analyses can be used to better understand the relative abundance and distribution of wildlife on this landscape and in particular provide information for management to promote predator co-existence in this recently recolonized, multi-use agriculture landscape. *Indicates faculty mentor

Optimizing procedures for genomic analyses of Beaver Hills canid scat

There are significant economic and ecological motivations to study the recently recolonized wolf (Canis lupus) population in the Beaver Hills region of Alberta, Canada. The reappearance of an apex predator presents challenges for land management.  Competing claims for both agricultural and environmental priority necessitate an accurate description of the wolf population to inform an effective management solution.  Faecal analysis presents a non-invasive technique for obtaining estimates of the population size, habitat use and genetic structure of wolves and coyotes (C. latrans).  As a preliminary step, we sought to develop a procedure for obtaining and analyzing genetic material from canid scat.  Ultimately this protocol will be applied to a 500-sample collection gathered in the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Recreation Area and Elk Island National Park between May 2015 and January 2016.  We compared and assessed protocols for scat storage and handling, DNA extraction and diagnostic molecular analyses.  Extractions performed on scat samples stored at -20oC using the QIAmp Stool protocol produced DNA that could be successfully amplified using Scat ID primers.  Diagnostic restriction digests match published fragment patterns for Alberta canids (i.e., dog and wolf).  Based on these findings we present a protocol for species identification from canid scat collected in the Beaver Hills region. *Indicates faculty mentor

Health related quality of life utility weights for economic evaluation through different stages of chronic kidney disease: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: A Task Force from the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) provides recommendations on how to systematically identify and appraise health state utility (HSU) weights for cost-effectiveness analyses. We applied these recommendations to conduct a systematic review (SR) to identify HSU weights for different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), renal replacement therapy (RRT) and complications. METHODS: MEDLINE® and Embase were searched for interventional and non-interventional studies reporting HSU weights for patients with CKD stages 1-5 or RRT. As per ISPOR Task Force Guidance, study quality criteria, applicability for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and generalisability to a broad CKD population were used to grade studies as either 1 (recommended), 2 (to be considered if there are no data from grade 1 studies) or 3 (not recommended). RESULTS: A total of 17 grade 1 studies were included in this SR with 51 to 1767 participants, conducted in the UK, USA, Canada, China, Spain, and multiple-countries. Health related quality of life (HRQL) instruments used in the studies included were EQ-5D-3L (10 studies), SF-6D (4 studies), HUI2/HUI3 (1 study), and combinations (2 studies). Although absolute values for HSU weights varied among instruments, HSU weights decreased with CKD severity in a consistent manner across all instruments. CONCLUSIONS: This SR identified HSU weights for a range of CKD states and showed that HRQL decreases with CKD progression. Data were available to inform cost-effectiveness analysis in CKD in a number of geographies using instruments acceptable by HTA agencies

Altered H19/miR‐675 expression in skeletal muscle is associated with low muscle mass in community‐dwelling older adults

Background: Despite increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis of muscle ageing, the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Based on an expression analysis of muscle biopsies from older Caucasian men, we undertook an in-depth analysis of the expression of the long non-coding RNA, H19, to identify molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the loss of muscle mass with age. Methods: We carried out transcriptome analysis of vastus lateralis muscle biopsies from 40 healthy Caucasian men aged 68–76 years from the Hertfordshire Sarcopenia Study (HSS) with respect to appendicular lean mass adjusted for height (ALMi). Validation and replication was carried out using qRT-PCR in 130 independent male and female participants aged 73–83 years recruited into an extension of the HSS (HSSe). DNA methylation was assessed using pyrosequencing. Results: Lower ALMi was associated with higher muscle H19 expression (r2 = 0.177, P < 0.001). The microRNAs, miR-675-5p/3p encoded by exon 1 of H19, were positively correlated with H19 expression (Pearson r = 0.192 and 0.182, respectively, P < 0.03), and miR-675-5p expression negatively associated with ALMi (r2 = 0.629, P = 0.005). The methylation of CpGs within the H19 imprinting control region (ICR) were negatively correlated with H19 expression (Pearson r = −0.211 to −0.245, P ≤ 0.05). Moreover, RNA and protein levels of SMAD1 and 5, targets of miR-675-3p, were negatively associated with miR-675-3p (r2 = 0.792 and 0.760, respectively) and miR-675-5p (r2 = 0.584 and 0.723, respectively) expression, and SMAD1 and 5 RNA levels positively associated with greater type II fibre size (r2 = 0.184 and 0.246, respectively, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Increased expression profiles of H19/miR-675-5p/3p and lower expression of the anabolic SMAD1/5 effectors of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling are associated with low muscle mass in older individuals

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

Comparison of Acute Health Care Utilization Between Patients Receiving In-Center Hemodialysis and the General Population: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study From Ontario, Canada

Background: Patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis have multiple comorbidities and are at high risk of presenting to the hospital. However, the incidence and cost of acute health care utilization in the in-center hemodialysis population and how this compares with other populations is poorly understood. Objective: To determine the rate, pattern, and cost of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in patients receiving in-center hemodialysis compared with a matched general population. Design: Population-based matched cohort study. Setting: We used linked administrative health care databases from Ontario, Canada. Patients: We included 25 379 patients (incident and prevalent) receiving in-center hemodialysis between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2018. Patients were matched on birth date (±2 years), sex, and cohort entry date using a 1:4 ratio to 101 516 individuals from the general population. Measurements: Our primary outcomes were emergency department visits (allowing for multiple visits per individual) and hospital admissions from the emergency department. We also assessed all-cause hospitalizations, all-cause readmissions within 30 days of discharge from the original hospitalization, length of stay for hospital admissions (including multiple visits per individual), and the financial cost of these admissions. Methods: We presented the rate, percentage, median (25th, 75th percentiles), and incidence rate per 1000 person-years for emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Individual-level health care costs for emergency department visits and all-cause hospitalization were estimated using resource intensity weights multiplied by the cost per weighted case. Results: Patients receiving in-center hemodialysis had substantially more comorbidities (eg, diabetes) than the matched general population. Eighty percent (n = 20 309) of patients receiving in-center hemodialysis had at least 1 emergency department visit compared with 56% (n = 56 452) of individuals in the matched general population, over a median follow-up of 1.8 years (25th, 75th percentiles: 0.7, 3.6) and 5.2 (2.5, 8.4) years, respectively. The incidence rate of emergency department visits, allowing for multiple visits per individual, was 2274 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2263, 2286) for patients receiving in-center hemodialysis, which was almost 5 times as high as the matched general population (471 per 1000 person-years; 95% CI: 469, 473). The rate of hospital admissions from the emergency department and the rate of all-cause hospital admissions in the in-center hemodialysis population was more than 7 times as high as the matched general population (hospital admissions from the emergency department: 786 vs 101 per 1000 person-years; all-cause hospital admissions: 1056 vs 139 per 1000 person-years). The median number of all-cause hospitalization days per patient year was 4.0 (0, 16.5) in the in-center hemodialysis population compared with 0 (0, 0.5) in the matched general population. The cost per patient-year for emergency department visits in the in-center hemodialysis population was approximately 5.5 times as high as the matched general population while the cost of hospitalizations in the in-center hemodialysis population was approximately 11 times as high as the matched general population (emergency department visits: CAN$1153 vs CAN$ 209; hospitalizations: CAN$21 151 vs CAN$ 1873 [all costs in 2023 CAN$]). Limitations: External generalizability and we could not determine whether emergency department visits and hospitalizations were preventable. Conclusions: Patients receiving in-center hemodialysis have high acute health care utilization. These results improve our understanding of the burden of disease and the associated costs in the in-center hemodialysis population, highlight the need to improve acute outcomes, and can aid health care capacity planning. Additional research is needed to address the risk of hospitalization after controlling for patient comorbidities. Trial registration: This is not applicable as this is a population-based matched cohort study and not a clinical trial