Contraception methods in wild animal species: a literary review

openHuman interactions with the environment have altered the delicate equilibrium that defines relationships between animals and the ecosystem. As the population growth rates have been modified, humans have to support an equilibrated coexistence between species. The implementation of contraception can be used to control the number of animals without the need to cull them. A wide variety of contraceptive methods have been developed, ranging from synthetic hormones to Immunocontraceptive vaccines. Each formulation stops reproduction with a different approach, giving the opportunity to select the most appropriate ones for animal species that are supposed to be treated. Contraceptives have also been used to treat conditions, usually related to reproductive diseases or hormonal imbalances. Elephants can be regarded as a case study for the implementation of contraception in wild animals. With their numbers rapidly increasing in reserves as a result of human management, contraceptives have been employed to reduce the population growth rate. Immunocontraceptive vaccines have been tested, proving their efficacy in reducing the fertility of female elephants and consequently the population growth rate.Human interactions with the environment have altered the delicate equilibrium that defines relationships between animals and the ecosystem. As the population growth rates have been modified, humans have to support an equilibrated coexistence between species. The implementation of contraception can be used to control the number of animals without the need to cull them. A wide variety of contraceptive methods have been developed, ranging from synthetic hormones to Immunocontraceptive vaccines. Each formulation stops reproduction with a different approach, giving the opportunity to select the most appropriate ones for animal species that are supposed to be treated. Contraceptives have also been used to treat conditions, usually related to reproductive diseases or hormonal imbalances. Elephants can be regarded as a case study for the implementation of contraception in wild animals. With their numbers rapidly increasing in reserves as a result of human management, contraceptives have been employed to reduce the population growth rate. Immunocontraceptive vaccines have been tested, proving their efficacy in reducing the fertility of female elephants and consequently the population growth rate

The association of quantitative PSMA PET parameters with pathologic ISUP grade: an international multicenter analysis.

PURPOSE To assess if PSMA PET quantitative parameters are associated with pathologic ISUP grade group (GG) and upgrading/downgrading. METHODS PCa patients undergoing radical prostatectomy with or without pelvic lymph node dissection staged with preoperative PSMA PET at seven referral centres worldwide were evaluated. PSMA PET parameters which included SUVmax, PSMAvolume, and total PSMA accumulation (PSMAtotal) were collected. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the association between PSMA PET quantified parameters and surgical ISUP GG. Decision-tree analysis was performed to identify discriminative thresholds for all three parameters related to the five ISUP GGs The ROC-derived AUC was used to determine whether the inclusion of PSMA quantified parameters improved the ability of multivariable models to predict ISUP GG ≥ 4. RESULTS A total of 605 patients were included. Overall, 2%, 37%, 37%, 10% and 13% patients had pathologic ISUP GG1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. At multivariable analyses, all three parameters SUVmax, PSMAvolume and PSMAtotal were associated with GG ≥ 4 at surgical pathology after accounting for PSA and clinical T stage based on DRE, hospital and radioligand (all p  28, PSMAvol 0-2, 2-9, 9-20 and > 20 and PSMAtotal 0-12, 12-98 and > 98). PSMAvolume was significantly associated with GG upgrading (OR 1.03 95%CI 1.01 - 1.05). In patients with biopsy GG1-3, PSMAvolume ≥ 2 was significantly associated with higher odds for upgrading to ISUP GG ≥ 4, compared to PSMAvolume < 2 (OR 6.36, 95%CI 1.47 - 27.6). CONCLUSION Quantitative PSMA PET parameters are associated with surgical ISUP GG and upgrading. We propose clinically relevant thresholds of these parameters which can improve in PCa risk stratification in daily clinical practice