The buoyancy of cryptococcal cells and its implications for transport and persistence of Cryptococcus in aqueous environments.

Cryptococcus is a genus of saprophytic fungi with global distribution. Two species complexes, C. neoformans and C. gattii, pose health risks to humans and animals. Cryptococcal infections result from inhalation of aerosolized spores and/or desiccated yeasts from terrestrial reservoirs such as soil, trees, and avian guano. More recently, C. gattii has been implicated in infections in marine mammals, suggesting that inhalation of liquid droplets or aerosols from the air-water interface is also an important, yet understudied, mode of respiratory exposure. Water transport has also been suggested to play a role in the spread of C. gattii from tropical to temperate environments. However, the dynamics of fungal survival, persistence, and transport via water have not been fully studied. The size of the cryptococcal capsule was previously shown to reduce cell density and increase buoyancy. Here, we demonstrate that cell buoyancy is also impacted by the salinity of the media in which cells are suspended, with formation of a halocline interface significantly slowing the rate of settling of cryptococcal cells through water, resulting in persistence of C. neoformans within 1 cm of the air-water interface for over 60 min and C. gattii for 4-6 h. Our data also showed that during culture in yeast peptone dextrose media (YPD), polysaccharide accumulating in the supernatant formed a raft that augmented buoyancy and further slowed settling of cryptococcal cells. These findings illustrate new mechanisms by which cryptococcal cells may persist in aquatic environments, with important implications for aqueous transport and pathogen exposure.

Experiences of nursing students in A peer mentoring program during their clinical practices. A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical placements allow nursing students to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to provide care. Peer mentoring programmes seem to facilitate these achievements, but there are very few studies on the effects of peer mentoring on clinical placements and what it can bring to both mentors and mentees. AIM: To describe the perspectives of nursing students on a peer mentoring programme during their clinical placements. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive and exploratory study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: First year and third year nursing students were included. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with students after they participated in a peer mentoring programme during their clinical practice rotation. RESULTS: The support received from the student mentors was very important both academically and personally. Mentors also acknowledged having improved their teaching and leadership skills. CONCLUSIONS: Our results can be applied to future studies to inform peer mentoring programmes as a complementary teaching tool in clinical placements to improve leadership and empowerment in nursing students.

Erratum: Comparison of Cardiovascular Pathology in Animal Models of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Recommendations Regarding Standardization of Research Methods.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.30802/AALAS-CM-22-000095
In the original article entitled "Comparison of CardiovascularPathology in Animal Models of SARS-CoV-2 Infection:Recommendations Regarding Standardization of ResearchMethods," published in Vol 73, Issue 1 (February 2023),the grant information appearing in the Acknowledgmentssection should read: We acknowledge training supportfrom the National Institutes of Health (T32 OD011089) forIAJ and SM.

Do we really know if they are in pain? A cross-sectional study in hospitalised adult patients in Spain.

AIMS: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of pain in adult hospitalised patients, as well as to analyse the concordance between patient-reported and recorded pain and its impact on analgesic management. DESIGN: A cross sectional study. METHODS: The study was performed on a sample of 611 patients, from October to December 2017. Data were obtained from patient interviews, review of medical and nursing records and review of electronic prescribing. RESULTS: The prevalence of pain at the time of the interview was 36.7%. The median VAS score was 4. 90% of the patients had their pain assessed within the last 24 h; however, concordance between patient-reported pain and recorded pain in the nursing record was slight. CONCLUSION: Pain is still often documented inadequately. Despite the wide use of analgesics, half of the patients with moderate to severe pain do not have adequate pain management. A systematic assessment and recording of pain promotes appropriate analgesic prescription. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE: The findings of our study provide insight into the main gaps in the correct management of pain in hospitalised patients. A systematic assessment and recording of the pain suffered by the patient facilitates its control and allows a better management of the analgesic prescription by the physician. This information could help hospital managers to develop training programmes on pain assessment and on the importance of doctor-nurse collaboration to improve pain management, increasing the quality of care and reducing hospital costs. REPORTING METHOD: The study has adhered to the relevant EQUATOR guidelines, according to The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies.

Behavioral Evaluation of Laboratory-housed Ferrets (Mustela Putorius Furo) in Different Enclosure Sizes.

The domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is a common research model for infectious disease and behavioral studies. Ferrets are social animals that are commonly pair-housed. The United States has no species-specific regulatory standards for housing ferrets. Optimal enclosure dimensions have also not been investigated in this species, and cage sizes reported in the literature vary. Adequate space is an important animal welfare consideration, as smaller cages have been linked to increased incidence of stress- or boredom-related behaviors in some species. Here, we evaluated activity budget and space utilization in 2 different enclosure sizes for pair-housed female ferrets (n = 12). Single cages measured 78.7×78.7×45.7cm; double cages were comprised of 2 single cages connected by a short tunnel measuring 17.8 cm. Three pairs of ferrets were housed in each cage size and continuous video recordings were captured for 2 wk prior to crossover to the other cage size. The overall activity budget was similar between groups, with the predominant behavior being inactivity (89%). Stereotypic behaviors, such as cage biting or escape attempts, were infrequent (<0.1%) in both groups. Ferrets in double cages remained in the same cage as their partner 96% of the time, suggesting that social support is very valuable. Our results suggest that ferrets in both cage sizes experienced satisfactory welfare conditions. Our findings also suggest that while cage size is not the only determinant of conspecific aggression, larger cages may be an effective intervention to ameliorate aggression in certain ferrets based on signalment or behavioral history, with particular utility as a potential alternative to re-pairing or single-housing. This study provides valuable information to guide animal care and use programs regarding appropriate ferret housing.

Detection of Plasmid-Mediated Resistance against Colistin in Multi-Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli Isolated from a Tertiary Hospital.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mcr-1 to mcr-5 genes among colistin and multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli strains isolated from patients in a tertiary hospital in Toluca, Mexico. The presence of mcr genes among the 241 strains collected was assessed by PCR. In the case of mcr-carrying E. coli, further PCR tests were performed to determine the presence of blaCTX-M and whether the strains belonged to the O25b-ST131 clone. Conjugation experiments were also carried out to assess the horizontal transmission of colistin resistance. A total of twelve strains (5.0%), of which four were E. coli; four were P. aeruginosa; three were K. pneumoniae, and one E. cloacae, were found to be resistant to colistin. Of these strains, two E. coli isolates were found to carry mcr-1, and Southern blot hybridization demonstrated its presence on an approximately 60 kb plasmid. Both mcr-1-carrying E. coli strains were found to co-express blaCTX-M, belong to the O25b-ST131 clone, and horizontally transmit their colistin resistance. The results of this study confirm the presence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in hospitalized patients in Mexico and demonstrated that the multi-drug-resistant O25b-ST131 E. coli clone can acquire mcr genes and transmit such resistance traits to other bacteria.

Corrigendum: Internet-based survey evaluating the impact of ground substrate on injury and performance in canine agility athletes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1025331.].

Reflective based learning for nursing ethical competency during clinical practices.

BACKGROUND: A combination of theoretical and practical approaches is required to learn and acquire ethical competencies in caring. Occasionally, reflection on practical action differs from theoretical learning. In the context of reflective learning, issues such as ethical values can be discussed since they evoke conflict among nursing students. AIM: To identify ethical conflicts encountered by nursing students during clinical placements and to determine their cooperation strategies. RESEARCH DESIGN: Qualitative study with a content analysis according to Elo and Kinglas framework. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: Students enrolled in a nursing program at a Spanish university aged between 22 and 35, mainly women. METHODOLOGY: The study includes 134 ethical reflections from nursing students in the last year of the nursing program, written during their clinical practices in a variety of learning environments. The research team analyzed the reflections using an inductive content analysis method. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Ethical permission was obtained by the management center according to Law 3/2028, and all the participants accepted to participate through the informed consent form. FINDINGS: Three main categories emerged from the analysis of the ethical reflections: (1) evaluation of professional performance and patient care; (2) the student as the protagonist of the dilemma; (3) student coping. Student dilemmas and concerns are related to ignorance, student-patient communication, mistakes made and self-confidence. Some situations conflict with the autonomy of patients and their rights, and can contribute to stressful situations for patients. Stress factors include hospital routines, which the patient cannot modify, and asymmetric relationships with staff, which encourage passivity. CONCLUSION: All ethical problems detected by the students begin with the professional-patient relationship, including issues related to bad news, errors or malpractice. Reflection on the ethical values of nursing, both in the classroom and in clinical practices, allows students to develop a greater ethical awareness of care, enhancing their decision-making skills in ethical dilemmas.

Comparison of Cardiovascular Pathology In Animal Models of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Recommendations Regarding Standardization of Research Methods.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged as the viral pathogen that led to the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in late 2019. Because SARS-CoV-2 primarily causes a respiratory disease, much research conducted to date has focused on the respiratory system. However, SARS-CoV-2 infection also affects other organ systems, including the cardiovascular system. In this critical analysis of published data, we evaluate the evidence of cardiovascular pathology in human patients and animals. Overall, we find that the presence or absence of cardiovascular pathology is reported infrequently in both human autopsy studies and animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, in those studies that have reported cardiovascular pathology, we identified issues in their design and execution that reduce confidence in the conclusions regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection as a cause of significant cardiovascular pathology. Throughout this overview, we expand on these limitations and provide recommendations to ensure a high level of scientific rigor and reproducibility.

Acidosis metabólica neonatal por síndrome de enterocolitis inducido por proteína de alimentos: reporte de caso / Neonatal metabolic acidosis caused by food proteininduced enterocolitis syndrome: a case report

El síndrome de enterocolitis inducido por proteínas de los alimentos (FPIES, por su sigla en inglés) es una reacción alérgica no mediada por inmunoglobulina E (IgE) con síntomas gastrointestinales, como vómitos y diarrea. El diagnóstico se basa en criterios clínicos y en una prueba de provocación para confirmarlo. Es una enfermedad desconocida en las unidades neonatales, debido a la inespecificidad de los síntomas en los recién nacidos. La cifra de metahemoglobina elevada es una opción sencilla de aproximación diagnóstica. Se describe el caso clínico de un recién nacido que ingresa al servicio de urgencias por deshidratación, letargia, vómitos, diarrea y acidosis metabólica grave con elevación de metahemoglobina, con mejora clínica y recuperación total tras el inicio del aporte de fórmula elemental. La sospecha diagnóstica se confirmó tras la prueba de provocación positiva.

Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non-IgE mediated allergic reaction with gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea. FPIES diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and on a food challenge test. It is an unknown disease in neonatal units due to its nonspecific symptoms in newborn infants. An elevated methemoglobin level is a simple way to approach diagnosis. Here we describe a clinical case of a newborn admitted to the emergency department because of dehydration, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, severe metabolic acidosis, and a high methemoglobin level. Clinical improvement and complete recovery was achieved after initiation of elemental formula. The diagnostic suspicion was confirmed after a positive challenge test.

Neonatal metabolic acidosis caused by food proteininduced enterocolitis syndrome: a case report. / Acidosis metabólica neonatal por síndrome de enterocolitis inducido por proteína de alimentos: reporte de caso.

Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non-IgE mediated allergic reaction with gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea. FPIES diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and on a food challenge test. It is an unknown disease in neonatal units due to its nonspecific symptoms in newborn infants. An elevated methemoglobin level is a simple way to approach diagnosis. Here we describe a clinical case of a newborn admitted to the emergency department because of dehydration, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, severe metabolic acidosis, and a high methemoglobin level. Clinical improvement and complete recovery was achieved after initiation of elemental formula. The diagnostic suspicion was confirmed after a positive challenge test.

El síndrome de enterocolitis inducido por proteínas de los alimentos (FPIES, por su sigla en inglés) es una reacción alérgica no mediada por inmunoglobulina E (IgE) con síntomas gastrointestinales, como vómitos y diarrea. El diagnóstico se basa en criterios clínicos y en una prueba de provocación para confirmarlo. Es una enfermedad desconocida en las unidades neonatales, debido a la inespecificidad de los síntomas en los recién nacidos. La cifra de metahemoglobina elevada es una opción sencilla de aproximación diagnóstica. Se describe el caso clínico de un recién nacido que ingresa al servicio de urgencias por deshidratación, letargia, vómitos, diarrea y acidosis metabólica grave con elevación de metahemoglobina, con mejora clínica y recuperación total tras el inicio del aporte de fórmula elemental. La sospecha diagnóstica se confirmó tras la prueba de provocación positiva.

Compliance with COVID-19 Prevention Measures in the Spanish Population during the New Normal: Will the Need for Greater Community Involvement Be One of the Lessons Learned?

Throughout the pandemic, national and international health authorities have called on the population to collaborate and contribute with their behavior to control the problem. The aim of this study is to analyze the implementation of the protective measures against COVID-19 and to determine the factors involved in their compliance. To respond to the objectives, a cross-sectional study was performed involving a total of 5560 individuals. An ad hoc online questionnaire was created and shared through social networks, scientific societies, and various health institutions. The probability of high or total compliance with the protective measures was higher in women (OR = 1.401) and as age increases, with an OR = 2.524 in the interval between 31 and 64 years old and an OR = 2.896 in the oldest interval (65 and over). This study shows the characteristics of the population that considers it more likely to be infected by SARS-CoV-2, thus adopting greater adherence to prevention measures. Knowing which factors are associated with adherence to protective measures is essential for establishing effective pandemic control measures. Our findings may be useful for designing future awareness campaigns adapted to different socio-demographic characteristics in settings affected by COVID-19.

Internet-based survey evaluating the impact of ground substrate on injury and performance in canine agility athletes.

Agility is a rapidly growing canine performance sport worldwide, yet the literature is sparse regarding the impact of ground substrate on performance and injury. Approximately 1/3 of dogs participating in agility trials will experience a performance-related injury. The impact of ground material has been well-documented in racing greyhounds, equine athletes, and humans, but has been minimally investigated in agility dogs. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, 300 respondents (handlers, owners, and trainers) of 308 agility dogs completed an online survey regarding their dog's training and competition regimen, history of injury, perceived association between injury and substrate and/or agility obstacle, markers of decreased performance (MDPs) observed on different substrates, and changes to routine following injury. 35.7% of dogs sustained a training injury (TI) and 11.2% sustained a competition injury (CI). The most commonly reported sites of injury were the shoulder (TI: 33.9%, CI: 25.4%), forelimb digits (TI: 14.7%, CI: 11.9%) and iliopsoas muscle (TI: 11.9%, CI: 13.6%). Dogs most commonly trained on natural grass (85.3%), artificial turf (50.8%), and dirt (34.5%). Significantly fewer MDPs were observed on natural grass than any other substrate except dirt. Significantly more MDPs were noted on rubber mat compared to natural grass, artificial turf, dirt, sand, or foam mat. Rubber mat had the highest Incidence Proportion (IP) (32.0%) of TI and was perceived to be related to TI in 87.5% of cases. Obstacles perceived to be associated with injuries included jumps (TI: 37.5%, CI: 27.8%), contacts (TI: 29.7%, CI: 22.2%), weaves (TI: 11.9%, CI: 13.9%), and tunnels (CI: 25.0%). Overall, agility dogs were perceived to perform best on natural grass and dirt, while rubber mat was associated with injury and decreased performance. Respondents were willing to make significant alterations to their dog's routine due to a perceived association between substrate, injury, and performance. Further prospective studies are needed to assess the impact of substrate composition and maintenance, and inform evidence-based recommendations to maximize performance and minimize performance-related injury in agility dogs.

Mitochondrial translocator protein deficiency exacerbates pathology in acute experimental ulcerative colitis.

In human patients and animal models of ulcerative colitis (UC), upregulation of the mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) in the colon is consistent with inflammation. Although the molecular function for TSPO remains unclear, it has been investigated as a therapeutic target for ameliorating UC pathology. In this study, we examined the susceptibility of Tspo gene-deleted (Tspo -/- ) mice to insults as provided by the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced acute UC model. Our results show that UC clinical signs and pathology were severely exacerbated in Tspo -/- mice compared to control Tspo fl/fl cohorts. Histopathology showed extensive inflammation and epithelial loss in Tspo -/- mice that caused an aggravated disease. Colonic gene expression in UC uncovered an etiology linked to precipitous loss of epithelial integrity and disproportionate mast cell activation assessed by tryptase levels in Tspo -/- colons. Evaluation of baseline homeostatic shifts in Tspo -/- colons revealed gene expression changes noted in elevated epithelial Cdx2, mast cell Cd36 and Mcp6, with general indicators of lower proliferation capacity and elevated mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. These findings demonstrate that intact physiological TSPO function serves to limit inflammation in acute UC, and provide a systemic basis for investigating TSPO-targeting mechanistic therapeutics.

Canine Idiopathic Arteriopathy, Appendicular Bone Infarcts, and Neoplastic Transformation of Bone Infarcts in 108 Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).

Osteosarcoma (OSA) is the most common primary bone tumor in both dogs and humans. The dog is an important research model for OSA, yet dogs have much higher prevalence of bone tumors than do humans, a disparity that has yet to be explained. Neoplastic transformation of cells within or adjacent to bone infarcts into primary bone tumors has been described in humans but only sparsely characterized in the veterinary literature. In this study, 653 cases of canine bone infarcts were received through a referral veterinary osteopathology service over a 14-y period. We identified an idiopathic disorder affecting the nutrient artery, termed canine idiopathic arteriopathy (CIA), which to our knowledge has no direct counterpart in human medicine. This disorder was documented alongside ischemic necrosis of the medullary cavity in 114 bone infarcts in 108 dogs. We hypothesize that CIA precipitated an ischemic environment, resulting in development of a bone infarct down- stream of the abnormal artery. In 52% (59 of 114) of cases, bone infarcts demonstrated evidence of repair (termed reparative bone infarcts [RBI]), while in 48% (55 of 114) of infarcts, a bone tumor was also present, including pleomorphic sarcoma, OSA, fibrosarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. In some cases, a spectrum of tumors was present. We hypothesize that the ischemic infarct environment provoked bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to attempt repair of the stroma, and in approximately half of cases, MSCs underwent neoplastic transformation (BINT) to produce tumors. The most common sites of bone infarcts were the distal femur, distal radius, proximal humerus, and distal tibia, coinciding with common sites of canine OSA. The authors propose that CIA leading to bone infarcts and infarct-derived tumors, in combination with possible underdiagnosis of canine bone infarcts and misdiagnosis of some RBI as neoplasia, may contribute to the higher reported proportion of bone tumors in dogs compared with humans.

Moral sensitivity of nursing students. Adaptation and validation of the moral sensitivity questionnaire in Spain.

Ethical sensitivity is a requirement for people care as well as for decision-making in everyday practice. The aim is to present an adaptation and transcultural validation -in Spanish- of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire by Lützén et al. in Spain. In addition to that, we provide a practical implementation analysing the degree of moral sensitivity of nursing students. The data used for data collection were moral Sensitivity Questionnaire, socio-demographic data and a self-report questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed, including validity and reliability. Fit indices of the overall model were computed. The fit indices of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicate a poor fit, although the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed two dimensions that show a better fit of its indices. Women and those women with more experience in the clinical setting have a higher mean score, as well as those who study in centers where the strategic lines are the humanization of care. Female nursing students with more experience in the clinical setting and with more educational training present higher sensitivity indexes, as well as those who study in centers where the strategic lines are the humanization of care. The findings confirm that the Lützén et al. questionnaire is multidimensional. In the Spanish sample, it was necessary to group the three initial factors into two: sense of moral burden and moral strength-grouping the moral responsibility items into the above items to make the instrument more resilient.

Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Associated with Developing On-State Axial Symptoms Early after Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation.

Background: The relationship between axial symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) and subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is still unclear. Purpose: We searched for particular clinical characteristics before STN-DBS linked to on-state axial problems after surgery. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed baseline motor, emotional and cognitive features from PD patients with early axial symptoms (within 4 years after STN-DBS) and late axial symptoms (after 4 years). We also considered a group of PD patients without axial symptoms for at least 4 years after surgery. Results: At baseline, early-axial PD patients (n = 28) had a higher on-state Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III (15.0 ± 5.6 to 11.6 ± 6.2, p = 0.020), higher axial score (2.4 ± 1.8 to 0.7 ± 1.0, p < 0.001) and worse dopaminergic response (0.62 ± 0.12 to 0.70 ± 0.11, p = 0.005), than non-axial PD patients (n = 51). Early-axial PD patients had short-term recall impairment, not seen in non-axial PD (36.3 ± 7.6 to 40.3 ± 9.3, p = 0.041). These variables were similar between late-axial PD (n = 18) and non-axial PD, but late-axial PD showed worse frontal dysfunction. Conclusions: PD patients with early axial symptoms after DBS may have a significantly worse presurgical motor phenotype, poorer dopaminergic response and memory impairment. This may correspond to a more severe form of PD.

Assessing Nursing Students' Self-Perceptions about Safe Medication Management: Design and Validation of a Tool, the NURSPeM.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to design and validate a tool for assessing nursing students' self-perceptions about safe medication management. METHODS: A descriptive instrumental study was conducted involving construct definition, development of the tool, analysis of the content validity, and psychometric evaluation. Consensus regarding the content was obtained through a two-round Delphi process, and the resulting tool (the NURSPeM) was administered to nursing students to examine its internal consistency, temporal stability, and construct validity, the latter through exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen experts participated in the Delphi process, which yielded a tool comprising two questionnaires: (1) Self-perceptions about safe medication management (27 items) and (2) the frequency and learning of drug-dose calculation (13 items). The tool's psychometric properties were then examined based on responses from 559 nursing students. This analysis led to the elimination of three items from questionnaire 1, leaving a total of 24 items distributed across seven dimensions. All 13 items in questionnaire 2 were retained. Both questionnaires showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.894 and 0.893, respectively) and temporal stability (ICC = 0.894 and 0.846, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The NURSPeM is a valid and reliable tool for assessing nursing students' self-perceptions about safe medication management. It may be used to identify areas in which their training needs to be enhanced, and to evaluate the subsequent impact of new teaching initiatives.

Fear and Attitude towards SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection in Spanish Population during the Period of Confinement.

In January 2020, the WHO classified SARS-CoV-2 infection as a public health emergency and it was declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The media warned about the danger of infection, fuelling the population's fear of the new situation and increasing the perception of risk. This fear can cause behaviour that will determine the course of the pandemic and, therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse the fear of infection from COVID-19 among the Spanish population during the state of emergency. A cross-sectional, descriptive observational study was conducted with 16,372 participants. Data on sociodemographic factors, health factors, risk perception and fear were collected through an online survey. Level of fear is associated with older age, a lower level of education, having a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the immediate surroundings and living with and belonging to the most socioeconomically vulnerable group of people. Risk perception is associated with increased preventive behaviour. This paper provides relevant information for the public health sector since it contributes first-hand knowledge of population data that is highly useful in terms of prevention. Understanding the experiences of people in this pandemic helps to create more effective future intervention strategies in terms of planning and management for crisis situations.

Cutaneous concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol in Hoffmann's two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni) in managed care.

Hoffmann's two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni) are unique animals popular in zoological settings. The role of vitamin D in the maintenance of calcium homeostasis in this species is unexplored, although disorders of calcium homeostasis have been reported in managed sloths, including urolithiasis and soft tissue mineralization. This study assessed cutaneous concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) in nine indoor-housed Hoffmann's two-toed sloths, as a means of evaluating the potential for cutaneous photobiosynthesis of vitamin D3 . Samples were obtained from both abdominal and lumbar regions of the skin to assess for regional variation in 7-DHC concentration. The average concentration of 7-DHC in the sloth skin was low (0.197 ± 0.02 nmol/cm2 ). Location had a significant effect on 7-DHC level only when concentrations were expressed based on the wet weight of the sample (ng/g), but levels were similar when values were normalized to biopsy surface area (nmol/cm2 ).