101 Assessment of semen traits in servals (Leptailurus serval) and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Servals and Canada lynx are managed by species survival plans in North American zoos, but current populations are not sustainable. Increased knowledge of their reproductive biology would benefit breeding management and development of assisted reproductive techniques. The aims of our study were to (1) evaluate effectiveness of urethral catheterization and electroejaculation (EEJ) for semen collection; (2) characterise basal seminal traits; and (3) compare effectiveness of semen cryopreservation methods. Semen was collected from 6 servals and 9 Canada lynx via a urinary catheter (3.5 Fr×22 cm, inserted 15cm into the urethra), followed by EEJ under dexmedetomidine-ketamine anaesthesia. To assess the effect of seasonality on lynx seminal traits, semen was collected before (late January), during (mid-February to mid-March), and after (early April) the peak breeding season. Serval and lynx semen were frozen by conventional slow freezing (i.e. in 0.25-mL straws cooled to 4°C for 2h and frozen in LN vapor) in a soy lecithin-based (SOY) or egg yolk-based (TEY) extender with 4% glycerol and by ultra-rapid freezing (URF; direct pelleting into LN at ≈104°C/min) in SOY medium with 0.2M sucrose. To evaluate post-thaw sperm function in servals, heterologous IVF of domestic cat oocytes was performed, with cleavage rate assessed at 48h post-insemination. Data were analysed by one-way or repeated-measures ANOVA. Data are mean±standard deviation. Sperm recovery by urethral catheterization was negligible in both species, but EEJ allowed sperm collection in all males. Lynx seminal traits were similar during breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Testicular volume (4.81±1.17cm3) and sperm quality (13±11×106 sperm/ejaculate; 49±14% motility; 29±12% normal morphology; 74±13% acrosome integrity) were consistent with previous findings in the lynx genus. Post-thaw sperm quality in lynx has not yet been evaluated. In servals, testes volume was 6.56±2.11cm3 with good sperm quality for most males (46±36×106 sperm/ejaculate; 75±20% motility; 56±36% normal morphology; 84±7% acrosome integrity). Post-thaw, serval sperm acrosome integrity (31±15, 21±13, 24±13% at 0h for TEY, SOY, and URF, respectively; P>0.05) and motility (40±21% at 0h, 20±11% at 6h for TEY; 24±19% at 0h, 6±4% at 6h for SOY; 21±16% at 0h, 3±2% at 6h for URF; treatment: P>0.05; time: P<0.05; interaction: P>0.05) declined substantially. However, thawed sperm could fertilize domestic cat oocytes with no difference among treatments in cleavage success (53±6, 47±4, or 49±14%; TEY, SOY, and URF, respectively; P>0.05), indicating that standard freezing methods are effective in servals. Our findings provide zoos with valuable information about normative reproductive traits in both species. Supported by IMLS and the Roger & Kathy Gross Post-doctoral Fellowship.

Correction: Cisplatin-Induced Non-Oliguric Acute Kidney Injury in a Pediatric Experimental Animal Model in Piglets

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149013.].

Clinical course and pathogenicity of variant rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in experimentally infected adult and kit rabbits: Significance towards control and spread

RHDVb has become the dominant RHDV on the Iberian Peninsula. A better understanding of its pathogenicity is required to aid control measures. Thus, the clinical course, humoral immune response, viraemia and kinetics of RHDV-N11 (a Spanish RHDVb isolate) infection in different tissues at both viral RNA and protein levels were studied in experimentally infected young and adult rabbits. The case fatality rate differed between the two age groups, with 21% of kits succumbing while no deaths were observed in adults. Fever and viremia were strongly associated with death, which occurred 48 h post infection (PI) too fast for an effective humoral immune response to be mounted. A significant effect on the number of viral RNA copies with regard to the variables age, tissue and time PI (p < 0.0001 in all cases) was detected. Histological lesions in infected rabbits were consistently more frequent and severe in liver and spleen and additionally intestine in kits, these tissues containing the highest levels of viral RNA and protein. Although no adults showed lesions or virus antigen in intestine, both kits and adults maintained steady viral RNA levels from days 1 to 7 PI in this organ. Analysis revealed the fecal route as the main dissemination route of RHDV-N11. Subclinically infected rabbits had detectable viral RNA in their faeces for up to seven days and thus may play an important role spreading the virus. This study allows a better understanding of the transmission of this virus and improvement of the control strategies for this disease.

Neoplasms of Unknown Primary Site: A Clinicopathological Study of Autopsied Patients

Background

Malignant neoplasms of an unknown primary site (NUPS) remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in clinical practice. With this in mind, we have reviewed all autopsies performed in patients with NUPS in a single institution.

Patients and methods

By reviewing 1656 autopsies performed on adults in our Institution (1974-1990), 43 cases of NUPS were found. (NUPS was defined as histologically proven malignant tumor for which a primary site could not be found after anamnesis, complete physical examination, chest X-ray and routine chemistries.)

Results

There were 24 men (56 %) and 19 women. Mean age was 62 years (76 % of patients were aged 40-75). Clinical presentation included general deterioration (73 %), digestive symptoms (58 %), liver enlargement (58 %) abdominal pain (56 %), respiratory symptoms (45 %), ascites (26 %) and node enlargement (16 %). Abnormalities in analysis and image tests were frequent but nonspecific. Median time from admission to death was 42 days (range, 4-135). Pathologic diagnoses at autopsy were: 23 adenocarcinomas (53 %), arising from pancreas (6), biliary tree (6), lung (3), prostate (2), stomach (1), kidney (1) and unknown (4); 3 squamous carcinomas (5 %) (1 renal pelvis, 1 biliary tree, 1 stomach); 5 undifferentiated carcinomas (1 lung, 4 unknown); and 12 miscellaneous tumors (including 3 lymphomas, 3 neuroendocrine tumors, 3 hepatocarcinomas, 2 mesotheliomas and 1 melanoma). There was a tendency towards a metastatic pattern different from that expected from the primary tumor. Image tests were of little usefulness in the search for the primary tumor.

Conclusions

1) Adenocarciomas were the most frequent tumor presenting as NUPS, especially from the pancreas and biliary tree. 2) In this series, at least 11 % of patients were amenable to standard systemic therapies (3 lymphomas and 2 prostatic adenocarcinomas) if a correct pathologic diagnosis could have been established when alive. 3) Presenting symptoms and metastatic pattern differed from those expected for the primary neoplasm eventually found. 4) Image tests were often misleading as regards the primary site, although they were useful to quantify the dissemination of the tumor.

Microsociología del estigma: aportes de Erving Goffman a la conceptualización psicosociológica del estigma social

RESUMEN: Pese a su presencia temprana en las sociedades humanas, el estudio del estigma desde las ciencias sociales se inicia a mediados del siglo XX, constituyendo la definición de Erving Goffman del estigma como un atributo profundamente desacreditador dentro de una interacción social particular, una de las primeras aproximaciones al estudio sistemático y formal de este concepto. A diferencia de muchos autores contemporaneos, Goffman identifica oportunamente los rasgos propios del estigma social que permiten su clara delimitación con respecto a otros fenómenos vinculados a sus manifestaciones, siendo el reconocimiento de su singularidad conceptual el primer paso hacia el análisis y la compresión de sus complejas manifestaciones en diferentes contextos socio-culturales. La microsociología de Goffman y, de manera particular, su concepto de marcos, como esquemas generales que organizan la experiencia humana, ofrece un enfoque teórico fértil y, a la vez, poco explorado, para el análisis de este fenómeno y los mecanismos implicados tanto en su construcción social como en su impacto en los diferentes ámbitos de la interacción humana. Así, los marcos construidos, entre otros procesos, a partir de las narrativas y otras formas de comunicación popular, facilitan el reconocimiento y la codificación de objetos, situaciones, experiencias y secuencias de acciones desde el sistema de valores asumido por la comunidad, modificándose y ajustándose de manera continua a través del proceso de interacción social.Palabras claves: estigma; discriminación; microsociología; marcos; Goffman.ABSTRACT: Despite its early presence in human societies, stigma was not addressed by social sciences until mid-twentieth century, with Erving Goffman’s definition of stigma as a profoundly discrediting attribute within a specific social interaction being one of the first attempts to produce a systematic and formal study of this phenomenon. Unlike many contemporary authors, Goffman accurately identifies features of social stigma that allow for its clear delimitation from other social phenomena related to its manifestations, understanding the acknowledgment of stigma’s conceptual singularity as a first step required for analysis and comprehension of its complex manifestations in different socio-cultural contexts. Goffman’s microsociology and, particularly, his concept of frames as schemata of interpretation that organize human experience, provide a fertile and, at the same time, relatively unexplored, theoretical ground for the analysis of social stigma, and the mechanisms involved both in its social construction and its impact in different areas of human interaction. From that perspective, frames constructed, among other social processes, through narratives and other forms of popular communication, facilitate the recognition and coding of objects, situations, experiences and sequences of actions based on the value system assumed by specific communities, being continually modified and adjusted through social interaction.Keywords: stigma; discrimination; microsociology; frames; Goffman.

Curve of Perceptive Intellectual Deterioration in Hemodialysis Patients

In order to optimize the results of kidney transplant, i.e. patient's acceptance and speedy recovery, the available organ resources must be combined with appropriate “preparation” of the patient's mental state. In order to plot the “mental deterioration curve” of patients on a hemodialysis program, the present study was made on 62 patients in a general hospital in Spain. The possible repercussions of treatment of kidney disease on intellectual (Weschler's Adult Intelligence Scale-WAIS test) and perceptive (Benton test) capacity were investigated. Samples were grouped according to whether they had been on dialysis for up to four years (<4) or more than four years (>4). The WAIS test for the >4 group indicated a lower I.Q. These results indicated that it was after four years on dialysis that greater negative effects began to be seen in perceptive-intellectual capacity. The Benton test indicated that time on hemodialysis adversely affected the patient's capacities. A sharp decline was seen particularly between two and four years in the <4 group, suggesting that patients’ mental conditions vary with time on dialysis but that their resources and capacities are still fairly untroubled by the treatment in the first two years. In the light of these findings, the deterioration curve should be taken into account when planning kidney transplant, in order to take advantage of the initial period if possible.

Hemodynamic Effects of Connection to Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in a Pediatric Animal Model

To assess the hemodynamic effects of connection to continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in a pediatric experimental animal model. Prospective experimental study was performed using piglets between 2 and 3 months of age and 9-11 kg. CRRT with a Prismaflex^R monitor and HF20 filter (surface of 0.2 m² ) was started after monitoring and anesthetic induction with an initial blood flow at 20 mL/min with 10 mL/min increases every minute until the goal flow of 5 mL/kg/min was achieved. Heart rate, blood pressure, central venous pressure, cardiac index, and renal blood flow were registered at baseline, 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 360 min. IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 package was used for analysis. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Thirty-four piglets were studied. Blood pressure, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance significantly decreased 5-min after CRRT connection (mean arterial pressure from 85.5 to 70.8 mm Hg, P < 0.001, cardiac index from 3.6 to 3.3 L/min/m² P = 0.024, and systemic vascular resistance index from 1759 to 1607 dyn.s/cm⁵ P = 0.012). No significant changes were found in renal blood flow or central venous pressure. All parameters gradually increased at 15 and 30 min after connection but complete recovery was never achieved. Connection to CRRT produces a significant decrease in arterial pressure, cardiac index, and peripheral vascular resistances in hemodynamically stable piglets.

Nail dryer devices: a measured spectral irradiance and labelling review

The use of nail dryer devices does not represent a critical risk. The expected erythemal doses are lower than that from surface solar radiation in summer months.

Comparison between manual and mechanical chest compressions during resuscitation in a pediatric animal model of asphyxial cardiac arrest

Aims

Chest compressions (CC) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation are not sufficiently effective in many circumstances. Mechanical CC could be more effective than manual CC, but there are no studies comparing both techniques in children. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of manual and mechanical chest compressions with Thumper device in a pediatric cardiac arrest animal model.

Material and methods

An experimental model of asphyxial cardiac arrest (CA) in 50 piglets (mean weight 9.6 kg) was used. Animals were randomized to receive either manual CC or mechanical CC using a pediatric piston chest compressions device (Life-Stat®, Michigan Instruments). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), arterial blood gases and end-tidal CO2 (etCO2) values were measured at 3, 9, 18 and 24 minutes after the beginning of resuscitation.

Results

There were no significant differences in MAP, DAP, arterial blood gases and etCO2 between chest compression techniques during CPR. Survival rate was higher in the manual CC (15 of 30 = 50%) than in the mechanical CC group (3 of 20 = 15%) p = 0.016. In the mechanical CC group there was a non significant higher incidence of haemorrhage through the endotracheal tube (45% vs 20%, p = 0.114).

Conclusions

In a pediatric animal model of cardiac arrest, mechanical piston chest compressions produced lower survival rates than manual chest compressions, without any differences in hemodynamic and respiratory parameters.

Quality of life in home-ventilated children and their families

HMV (home mechanical ventilation) in children has increased over the last years. The aim of the study was to assess perceived quality of life (QOL) of these children and their families as well as the problems they face in their daily life.We performed a multicentric cross-sectional study using a semi-structured interview about the impact of HMV on families and an evaluation questionnaire about perceived QOL by the patient and their families (pediatric quality of life questionnaire (PedsQL4.0)). We studied 41 subjects (mean age 8.2 years). Global scores in PedsQL questionnaire for subjects (median 61.4), and their parents (median 52.2) were below those of healthy children. 24.4% received medical follow-up at home and 71.8% attended school. Mothers were the main caregivers (75.6%), 48.8% of which were fully dedicated to the care of their child. 71.1% consider economic and healthcare resources insufficient. All families were satisfied with the care they provide to their children, even though it was considered emotionally overwhelming (65.9%). Marital conflict and neglect of siblings appeared in 42.1 and 36% of families, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Perceived QOL by children with HMV and their families is lower than that of healthy children. Parents are happy to care for their children at home, even though it negatively affects family life. What is Known: • The use of home mechanical ventilation (HMV) in children has increased over the last years. • Normal family functioning is usually disrupted by HMV. What is New: • The aim of HMV is to provide a lifestyle similar to that of healthy children, but perceived quality of life by these patients and their parents is low. • Most of the families caring for children on HMV agree that support and resources provided by national health institutions is insufficient.

Analysing the natural population growth of a large marine mammal after a depletive harvest

An understanding of the underlying processes and comprehensive history of population growth after a harvest-driven depletion is necessary when assessing the long-term effectiveness of management and conservation strategies. The South American sea lion (SASL), Otaria flavescens, is the most conspicuous marine mammal along the South American coasts, where it has been heavily exploited. As a consequence of this exploitation, many of its populations were decimated during the early 20th century but currently show a clear recovery. The aim of this study was to assess SASL population recovery by applying a Bayesian state-space modelling framework. We were particularly interested in understanding how the population responds at low densities, how human-induced mortality interplays with natural mechanisms, and how density-dependence may regulate population growth. The observed population trajectory of SASL shows a non-linear relationship with density, recovering with a maximum increase rate of 0.055. However, 50 years after hunting cessation, the population still represents only 40% of its pre-exploitation abundance. Considering that the SASL population in this region represents approximately 72% of the species abundance within the Atlantic Ocean, the present analysis provides insights into the potential mechanisms regulating the dynamics of SASL populations across the global distributional range of the species.

Therapy with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir plus dasabuvir is effective and safe for the treatment of genotypes 1 and 4 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with severe renal impairment: A multicentre experience

Limited data are available on direct-acting antivirals for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with severe renal impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) ± dasabuvir (DSV) ± ribavirin (RBV) in patients with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and HCV genotype 1 or 4 infection in real clinical practice, and to investigate pharmacological interactions. This retrospective study included patients treated with OBV/PTV/r+DSV±RBV or OBV/PTV/r+RBV with CKD stage 4 (eGFR: 15-29 mL/min/1.73m² ) or 5 (eGFR<15 mL/min/1.73m² or requiring dialysis) and HCV infection by genotypes 1 and 4 between April 2015 and October 2015 in nine Spanish centres. Sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12) was assessed, and clinical and laboratory data, fibrosis stage, adverse events and pharmacological interactions were reported. Forty-six patients were included: 10 (21.7%) had CKD stage 4 and 36 (78.2%) CKD stage 5. Seventeen (36.9%) had cirrhosis. SVR12 rate in the intention-to-treat population was 95.7%. Twenty-one (45.6%) received RBV, which was discontinued in two (9.5%) patients. Anaemia (haemoglobin <10 g/dl) occurred in 12 patients (57.1%) with RBV vs 10 (40.0%) without RBV (P=.246). Renal function remained stable during antiviral therapy. Nine patients (19.5%) experienced serious adverse events unrelated to antiviral therapy. Concomitant medication was discontinued or modified in 41.3% of patients. In conclusion, the effectiveness of OBV/PTV/r±DSV±RBV in patients with CKD 4-5 was similar to that observed in those with normal renal function and was not associated with severe adverse events.

Evaluation of sublingual microcirculation in a paediatric intensive care unit: prospective observational study about its feasibility and utility

Background

Evaluation of the microcirculation in critically ill patients is usually done by means of indirect parameters. The aim of our study was to evaluate the functional state of the microcirculation by direct visualization of sublingual microcirculation using Sidestream Dark Field Imaging, to determine the correlation between these findings and other parameters that are commonly used in the clinical practice and to assess the applicability of the systematic use of this technique in critically ill children.

Methods

A prospective observational study was carried out in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a tertiary referral hospital. All patients admitted to the PICU during a three-month period were included in the study after obtaining the informed consent from the patient. Systematic evaluation of sublingual microcirculation was done in these patients (Total Vessel Density, Proportion of Perfused Vessels, Perfused Vessel Density, De Backer Score, Microvascular Flow Index, Heterogeneity Index) within the first day of admission (T₁) and between the second and third day of admission (T₂). Other clinical, hemodynamic, and biochemical parameters were measured and registered simultaneously. When the evaluation of the microcirculation was not feasible, the reason was registered. Descriptive analysis of our findings are expressed as means, medians, standard deviations and interquartile ranges. Mann–Whitney-Wilcoxon and Fisher tests were used to compare variables between patients with and without evaluation of the microcirculation. Pearson Correlation Coefficient (ρ) was used to evaluate the correlation between microcirculatory parameters and other clinical parameters.

Results

One hundred fine patients were included during the study period. Evaluation of the microcirculation was feasible in 18 patients (17.1%). 95.2% of them were intubated. The main reason for not evaluating microcirculation was the presence of respiratory difficulty or the absence of collaboration (95.1% on T₁ and 68.9% on T₂). Evaluated patients had a higher prevalence of intubation and ECMO at admission (72.2% vs. 14.9% and 16.6% vs. 1.1%, respectively), and longer median duration of mechanical ventilation (0 vs. 6.5 days), vasoactive drugs (0 vs. 3.5 days) and length of stay (3 vs. 16.5 days) than non-evaluated patients. There was a moderate correlation between microcirculatory parameters and systolic arterial pressure, central venous pressure, serum lactate and other biochemical parameters used for motoring critically ill children.

Conclusions

Systematic evaluation of microcirculation in critically ill children is not feasible in the unstable critically ill patient, but it is feasible in stable critically ill children. Microcirculatory parameters show a moderate correlation with other parameters that are usually monitored in critically ill children.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-017-0837-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tropical fish community does not recover 45 years after predator introduction

Predation is considered to be an important factor structuring natural communities. However, it is often difficult to determine how it may influence long-term, broad-scale, diversity patterns, particularly in diverse tropical systems. Biological introductions can provide powerful insight to test the sustained consequences of predation in natural communities, if pre-introduction data are available. Half a century ago, Zaret and Paine demonstrated strong and immediate community-level effects following the introduction of a novel apex predator (peacock bass, Cichla monoculus) into Lake Gatun, Panama. To test for long-term changes associated with this predator introduction, we followed up on their classic study by replicating historical sampling methods and examining changes in the littoral fish community at two sites in Lake Gatun 45 years post-introduction. To broaden our inference, we complemented this temporal comparison with a spatial analysis, wherein we compared the fish communities from two lakes with and one lake without peacock bass. Comparisons with historical data revealed that the peacock bass remains the most abundant predator in Lake Gatun. Furthermore, the collapse of the littoral prey community observed immediately following the invasion has been sustained over the past 45 years. The mean abundance of native littoral fish is now 96% lower than it was prior to the introduction. Diversity (rarefied species richness) declined by 64% post-introduction, and some native species appear to have been locally extirpated. We observed a similar pattern across invaded and uninvaded lakes: the mean abundance of native fishes was 5-40 times lower in lakes with (Gatun, Alajuela) relative to the lake without peacock bass (Bayano). In particular, small-bodied native fishes (Characidae, Peociliidae), which are common prey of the peacock bass, were more than two orders of magnitude (307 times) less abundant in Gatun and one order of magnitude (28 times) less abundant in Alajuela than in Bayano. However, total native fish diversity did not differ significantly across lakes, suggesting that while many native species have declined in abundance, few have been completely extirpated. Introduced predators can have strong effects on community structure and functional diversity, even in highly diverse tropical communities, and these effects can persist over multiple decades.

A route to small clusters: a twisted half-hexagram-shaped M4(OH)4 cluster and its capacity for hosting closed-shell metals

The secret to making a new M₄(OH)₄ core structure lies in combining different oxidation states, coordination geometries and bridging systems. The spatial distribution of Pt(ii) atoms in Pt₄(OH)₄ is capable of cradling incoming Ag(i) centers.