The effects of a chemosterilant (Mestranol) on population and behavior in the Richardson's ground squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii) in Alberta

A chemosterilant, mestranol, was administered to three populations of Richardson's ground squirrel in southeastern Alberta. Mestranol was given to all squirrels in one plot, to only 50 percent in another plot, while a third plot remained as control. In all plots social behavior and population dynamics were followed over two seasons by live trapping and visual observations. Mestranol sterilized all females who received the drug shortly before or in early pregnancy; accordingly the birth rates were reduced. Levels of total aggression were also reduced but increased survival and immigration rates nullified the effects of the treatment during the first season. During the second season, low birth rates due to repeated treatment in one plot and to adult emigration and unknown causes in the other, were not compensated for by immigration. As a result of the repeated mestranol treatment and in one case also of adult emigration, the numbers of squirrels were reduced in the vicinity, thus limiting potential immigration in the treated plots. As a consequence, both treated populations crashed, demonstrating the effectiveness of mestranol

La gestion et la conservation de la sauvagine en Amérique du Nord dans le contexte des changements climatiques

Enjeux majeurs du 21e siècle, les changements climatiques vont bouleverser la stabilité environnementale relative dans laquelle les espèces et la société actuelle ont évolué. Les approches de conservation qui sont actuellement utilisées pourraient être compromises ou encore mal adaptées aux besoins futurs. Il est important d’intégrer un aspect d’adaptation aux changements climatiques au sein de ces approches afin d’optimiser l’efficacité des mesures de conservation. L’objectif principal de cet essai est d’explorer la possibilité d’intégrer des mesures d’adaptation aux changements climatiques dans l’élaboration de plans de gestion d’oiseaux migrateurs considérés comme gibier en Amérique du Nord. En Amérique du Nord, plusieurs espèces d’oiseaux migrateurs accomplissent leurs cycles de vie à travers le Canada, les États-Unis et le Mexique, sans en reconnaître les frontières. Ces pays ont donc adopté une gestion conjointe et collaborative des oiseaux migrateurs, notamment par l’entremise du Plan nord-américain de gestion de la sauvagine.En partant des stratégies de gestion actuelles, des perspectives d’évolution du climat et de leurs répercussions sur les espèces de sauvagine, ainsi que de la vulnérabilité de certaines espèces face aux changements climatiques, cet essai tend à mettre en lumière les principaux éléments que les gestionnaires doivent sans conteste intégrer dans leurs stratégies, au même titre que plusieurs mesures d’adaptations qui doivent être incluses dans les processus actuels Au terme de cet essai, il s’avère que les gestionnaires de la sauvagine en Amérique du Nord possèdent déjà des outils qui faciliteront l’adaptation de la gestion de ces espèces dans le contexte des changements climatiques. Néanmoins, plusieurs défis restent à surmonter et les recommandations formulées reposent sur l’importance de la collaboration internationale et du système déjà en place permettant la mise en œuvre des stratégies à l’échelle régionale; l’augmentation de l’intérêt du public envers la nature et la conservation; l’utilité de cibler les efforts de conservations prioritaires et nécessaires; l’évaluation de la vulnérabilité des espèces; la réduction de l’incohérence de certaines politiques; le besoin d’adapter les mesures de suivi des populations et des habitats; la nécessité de continuer à développer des modélisations pour anticiper les effets des changements climatiques, et surtout de fixer des objectifs communs à long terme avec des objectifs à plus court terme qui devront être réévalués fréquement afin d’adapter les stratégies au contexte de changements climatiques et d’incertitude

Estrategias de desarrollo para el futuro de México

El ajuste estructural en las economías en proceso de desarrollo ha sido bastante estudiado. El reclamo de los países pobres por un Nuevo Orden Económico Internacional se convirtió en una necesidad —estricta condicionalidad impuesta por los países acreedores en relación directa con la crisis de la deuda externa de llevar a cabo reformas internas de carácter estructural. El término no tiene una definición estricta. Mejorar las cuentas fiscales, abrir la economía al exterior y estimular las exportaciones, reducir subsidios, alentar al sector privado y a la inversión extranjera, adelgazar el tamaño del gobierno, privatizar, son ahora recetas de aplicación general y sin consideración clara con el estado del paciente.ITESO, A.C

Nurturing Children's Healthy Eating: Position statement

The relationship between eating a healthy diet and positive health outcomes is well known; nurturing healthy eating among children therefore has the potential to improve public health. A healthy diet occurs when one''s usual eating patterns include adequate nutrient intake and sufficient, but not excessive, energy intake to meet the energy needs of the individual. However, many parents struggle to establish healthy eating patterns in their children due to the pressures of modern life. Moreover, healthcare providers often do not have the time or the guidance they need to empower parents to establish healthy eating practices in their children. Based on existing evidence from epidemiologic and intervention research, the Nurturing Children''s Healthy Eating collaboration, established by Danone Institute International, has identified four key themes that encourage and support healthy eating practices among children in the modern Western world. The first — positive parental feeding — explores how parenting practices and styles, such as avoiding food restriction, allowing children to make their own food choices, and encouraging children to self-limit their portion sizes, can influence children''s dietary intake. The second — eating together — highlights the link between eating socialization through regular family meals and healthful diet among children. The third — a healthy home food environment — explores the impact on eating practices of family resources, food availability/accessibility, parental modeling, and cues for eating. The fourth — the pleasure of eating — associates children''s healthy eating with pleasure through repeated exposure to healthful foods, enjoyable social meals, and enhancement of the cognitive qualities (e.g. thoughts or ideas) of healthful foods. This paper reviews the evidence leading to the characterization of these nurturing themes, and ways in which recommendations might be implemented in the home

Grand Challenges: Improving HIV Treatment Outcomes by Integrating Interventions for Co-Morbid Mental Illness.

In the fourth article of a five-part series providing a global perspective on integrating mental health, Sylvia Kaaya and colleagues discuss the importance of integrating mental health interventions into HIV prevention and treatment platforms. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary

Multivisceral intestinal transplantation: Surgical pathology

We report the diagnostic surgical pathology of two children who underwent multivisceral abdominal transplantation and survived for 1 month and 6 months. There is little relevant literature, and diagnostic criteria for the various clinical possibilities are not established; this is made more complicated by the simultaneous occurrence of more than one process. We based our interpretations on conventional histology, augmented with immunohistology, including HLA staining that distinguished graft from host cells in situ. In some instances functional analysis of T cells propagated from the same biopsies was available and was used to corroborate morphological interpretations. A wide spectrum of changes was encountered. Graft-versus-host disease, a prime concern before surgery, was not seen. Rejection was severe in 1 patient, not present in the other, and both had evidence of lymphoproliferative disease, which was related to Epstein-Barr virus. Bacterial translocation through the gut wall was also a feature in both children. This paper documents and illustrates the various diagnostic possibilities.. © 1989 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted

Structural basis for the recognition and cleavage of histone H3 by cathepsin L

Proteolysis of eukaryotic histone tails has emerged as an important factor in the modulation of cell-cycle progression and cellular differentiation. The recruitment of lysosomal cathepsin L to the nucleus where it mediates proteolysis of the mouse histone H3 tail has been described recently. Here, we report the three-dimensional crystal structures of a mature, inactive mutant of human cathepsin L alone and in complex with a peptide derived from histone H3. Canonical substrate–cathepsin L interactions are observed in the complex between the protease and the histone H3 peptide. Systematic analysis of the impact of posttranslational modifications at histone H3 on substrate selectivity suggests cathepsin L to be highly accommodating of all modified peptides. This is the first report of cathepsin L–histone H3 interaction and the first structural description of cathepsin L in complex with a substrate

Home parenteral nutrition with an omega-3-fatty-acid-enriched MCT/LCT lipid emulsion in patients with chronic intestinal failure (the HOME study):study protocol for a randomized, controlled, multicenter, international clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is a life-preserving therapy for patients with chronic intestinal failure (CIF) indicated for patients who cannot achieve their nutritional requirements by enteral intake. Intravenously administered lipid emulsions (ILEs) are an essential component of HPN, providing energy and essential fatty acids, but can become a risk factor for intestinal-failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). In HPN patients, major effort is taken in the prevention of IFALD. Novel ILEs containing a proportion of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) could be of benefit, but the data on the use of n-3 PUFA in HPN patients are still limited. METHODS/DESIGN: The HOME study is a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter, international clinical trial conducted in European hospitals that treat HPN patients. A total of 160 patients (80 per group) will be randomly assigned to receive the n-3 PUFA-enriched medium/long-chain triglyceride (MCT/LCT) ILE (Lipidem/Lipoplus® 200 mg/ml, B. Braun Melsungen AG) or the MCT/LCT ILE (Lipofundin® MCT/LCT/Medialipide® 20%, B. Braun Melsungen AG) for a projected period of 8 weeks. The primary endpoint is the combined change of liver function parameters (total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase) from baseline to final visit. Secondary objectives are the further evaluation of the safety and tolerability as well as the efficacy of the ILEs. DISCUSSION: Currently, there are only very few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the use of ILEs in HPN, and there are very few data at all on the use of n-3 PUFAs. The working hypothesis is that n-3 PUFA-enriched ILE is safe and well-tolerated especially with regard to liver function in patients requiring HPN. The expected outcome is to provide reliable data to support this thesis thanks to a considerable number of CIF patients, consequently to broaden the present evidence on the use of ILEs in HPN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03282955. Registered on 14 September 2017

Nutrition Strategies for Triathlon

Contemporary sports nutrition guidelines recommend that each athlete develop a personalised, periodised and practical approach to eating that allows him or her to train hard, recover and adapt optimally, stay free of illness and injury and compete at their best at peak races. Competitive triathletes undertake a heavy training programme to prepare for three different sports while undertaking races varying in duration from 20 min to 10 h. The everyday diet should be adequate in energy availability, provide CHO in varying amounts and timing around workouts according to the benefits of training with low or high CHO availability and spread high-quality protein over the day to maximise the adaptive response to each session. Race nutrition requires a targeted and well-practised plan that maintains fuel and hydration goals over the duration of the specific event, according to the opportunities provided by the race and other challenges, such as a hot environment. Supplements and sports foods can make a small contribution to a sports nutrition plan, when medical supplements are used under supervision to prevent/treat nutrient deficiencies (e.g. iron or vitamin D) or when sports foods provide a convenient source of nutrients when it is impractical to eat whole foods. Finally, a few evidence-based performance supplements may contribute to optimal race performance when used according to best practice protocols to suit the triathlete’s goals and individual responsiveness