Embolization in an adrenocortical carcinoma as palliative therapy

Background: With an annual incidence of 0.2% of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, adrenocortical carcinoma is rare. In advanced tumor only palliative treatment modalities are practicable. Because of scarcity of the tumor, standard treatment has not been defined. The decision on therapy frequently depends on the individual situation. Tumor embolization and chemotherapy are amongst the possible options. Patient and Methods: We report on a case of a 32-year-old female patient with a large-volume hormonally active adrenocortical carcinoma and hematogenous liver metastases. This carcinoma was confirmed histologically by means of liver biopsy. Owing to the large tumor extent and metastatic spreading and also in view of the poor general condition of the patient, curative surgical therapy was not possible. For this reason, a local approach was chosen primarily with transarterial tumor embolization at the capillary level. Systemic chemotherapy was given afterwards. Results: Improvement of the patient's general condition, especially the pronounced pain symptoms, could be achieved for a short time by the embolization: both, the patient's clinical condition and the laboratory test parameters improved. However, a rapid tumor progression occured under chemotherapy, which was started after embolization. Conclusion: In advanced adrenocortical carcinoma, tumor embolization can lead to a stabilization of the disease and improvement of the symptoms as appraised by palliative criteria in some patients

Deriving observation distances for camera trap distance sampling

Camera trap distance sampling (CTDS)o is a recently developed survey method to estimate animal abundance from camera trap data for unmarked populations. It re-quires the estimation of camera-animal observation distances, which previously was done by comparing animal positions to reference labels at predefined intervals. Here, we test a photogrammetry approach to derive camera-animal observation distances. We applied both, the reference label and photogrammetry approaches to five un-gulate species varying widely in body size (Giraffa camelopardalis, Equus grevyi, Oryx dammah, Kobus megaceros and Eudorcas thomsonii) and one ground-dwelling bird spe-cies (Numida meleagris) inhabiting a large enclosure and estimated their density with CTDS. Both procedures provided highly correlated observation distances (ρ= 0.99, pCTDS en anglais) est une technique de recensement développée récemment qui permet d’estimer l’effectif de populations animales non marquées avec des pièges photographiques. Cette technique requiert l’estimation de la distance entre le piège photographique et l’animal observé, ce qui était précédemment obtenu en comparant la position de l’animal à des points de référence placés à des intervalles prédéfinis. Ici nous testons une approche de photogrammétrie pour estimer les distances entre les pièges photographiques et les animaux observés. Nous avons appliqué les deux approches, points de référence et photogrammétries, à cinq espèces d’ongulés de tailles différentes (Giraffa camelopardalis, Equus grevyi, Oryx dammah, Kobus megaceros et Eudorcas thomsonii) ainsi qu’une espèce d’oiseau (Numida meleagris) vivant dans un espace clôturé et avons estimé leur densités de populations avec le CTDS. Les deux méthodes ont fourni des distances d’observations fortement corrélées (ρ = 0.99, p significative pour la technique de photogrammétrie (MD = 0.28 m, p est néanmoins négligeable dans la mesure où, pour les analyses, les distances étaient groupées dans des intervalles allant de 2 à 5 mètres. En règle générale, les estimations d’abondances étaient proche du nombre réel d’individus dans l’enclos, et ce pour les deux techniques, avec l’exception des zèbres pour lesquels les densités étaient sous- estimées. La technique de photogrammétrie offre une alternative pour dériver les distances entre les pièges photographiques et les animaux observés et pourrait être particulièrement utile dans des habitats ouverts où les animaux sont peu cachés

Wild mammals as economic goods and implications for their conservation

In social-ecological systems, human activities and animal distribution are interrelated. Any effort at studying wildlife abundance therefore requires the integration of detailed socioeconomic context into species distribution models. Wild mammals have always been an important resource for humankind, and concepts of economic goods provide an analytical framework to deduce relevant socioeconomic factors that shape wild mammal–human relationships and consequences for the spatial distribution patterns of wild mammals. We estimated the effects of the human population on wild mammals in a rural area in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa. We related large mammal survey data via statistical models to detailed socioeconomic information about the human population in the same area. We compared models, taking account of the human population in different ways, and found that wild mammal abundance was better explained by human factors other than human population density. Although human population density had a negative effect on wild mammals, the effect of market integration and food taboos were more important and not accounted for by human population density alone. Additionally, the analysis did not provide evidence of higher mammal abundance in classified forests, which one would assume if conservation interventions aimed at reducing hunting were implemented. Beyond doubt, the relationship between humans and wild mammals is highly complex and species- and context-specific. To understand mammal–human relationships in the wider context of social-ecological systems, an in-depth knowledge of the socioeconomic characteristics of a human population is needed to identify crucial links and driving mechanisms

Light respiratory processes and gross photosynthesis in two scleractinian corals

© 2014 Schrameyer et al. The light dependency of respiratory activity of two scleractinian corals was examined using O2 microsensors and CO2 exchange measurements. Light respiration increased strongly but asymptotically with elevated irradiance in both species. Light respiration in Pocillopora damicornis was higher than in Pavona decussata under low irradiance, indicating species-specific differences in light-dependent metabolic processes. Overall, the coral P. decussata exhibited higher CO2 uptake rates than P. damicornis over the experimental irradiance range. P. decussata also harboured twice as many algal symbionts and higher total protein biomass compared to P. damicornis, possibly resulting in self-shading of the symbionts and/or changes in host tissue specific light distribution. Differences in light respiration and CO2 availability could be due to host-specific characteristics that modulate the symbiont microenvironment, its photosynthesis, and hence the overall performance of the coral holobiont

Toxoplasma co-infection prevents Th2 differentiation and leads to a helminth- specific Th1 response

Nematode infections, in particular gastrointestinal nematodes, are widespread and co-infections with other parasites and pathogens are frequently encountered in humans and animals. To decipher the immunological effects of a widespread protozoan infection on the anti-helminth immune response we studied a co-infection with the enteric nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus in mice previously infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Protective immune responses against nematodes are dependent on parasite-specific Th2 responses associated with IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IgE, and IgG1 antibodies. In contrast, Toxoplasma gondii infection elicits a strong and protective Th1 immune response characterized by IFN-γ, IL-12, and IgG2a antibodies. Co-infected animals displayed significantly higher worm fecundity although worm burden remained unchanged. In line with this, the Th2 response to H. polygyrus in co-infected animals showed a profound reduction of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and GATA-3 expressing T cells. Co-infection also resulted in the lack of eosinophilia and reduced expression of the Th2 effector molecule RELM-β in intestinal tissue. In contrast, the Th1 response to the protozoan parasite was not diminished and parasitemia of T. gondii was unaffected by concurrent helminth infection. Importantly, H. polygyrus specific restimulation of splenocytes revealed H. polygyrus-reactive CD4+ T cells that produce a significant amount of IFN-γ in co-infected animals. This was not observed in animals infected with the nematode alone. Increased levels of H. polygyrus-specific IgG2a antibodies in co-infected mice mirrored this finding. This study suggests that polarization rather than priming of naive CD4+ T cells is disturbed in mice previously infected with T. gondii. In conclusion, a previous T. gondii infection limits a helminth-specific Th2 immune response while promoting a shift toward a Th1-type immune response