Hand injuries treated at a hand emergency center during the COVID-19 lockdown

The recent coronavirus outbreak has tested the adaptability, cooperation and organizational capabilities of our healthcare systems. Restrictions were implemented in several countries to reduce virus transmission whilst emergency departments (ED) were overwhelmed and there was shortage of healthcare providers. Given this situation and the consequences of hand injuries, we studied the epidemiology of hand injuries in an accredited FESSH emergency center during the lockdown in France (March 17 to May 10, 2020) due to the coronavirus outbreak. During this period, 1947 patients consulted for a hand injury. We found high percentages of men (63%), open wounds (70%), domestic accidents (88%) and surgical treatment being required (76%). There was a significant decrease in admissions and consultations relative to the same period in 2019. This reference data can help healthcare systems prepare for future outbreaks and similar restrictions.

Social facilitation of eclosion in the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

In colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, eclosion is facilitated by adult workers which strip away and consume the pupal cuticle. This stage-specific social interaction involves chemical stimuli which are present at the onset of eclosion, concurrent with the initiation of gross movements and separation of the pupal cuticle. Fire ant workers retrieved inanimate objects treated with an extract of eclosing pupae and placed them in the colony brood chamber with the appropriate age group where they were tended by several workers. The facilitation of eclosion by adult colony members appears to be an obligatory process in the development of this species; pupae denied the aid of adult workers during eclosion are unable to remove the pupal cuticle and rapidly succumb.