Assessing cumulative impacts of forest development on the distribution of furbearers using expert-based habitat modeling.

Cumulative impacts of anthropogenic landscape change must be considered when managing and conserving wildlife habitat. Across the central-interior of British Columbia, Canada, industrial activities are altering the habitat of furbearer species. This region has witnessed unprecedented levels of anthropogenic landscape change following rapid development in a number of resource sectors, particularly forestry. Our objective was to create expert-based habitat models for three furbearer species: fisher (Pekania pennanti), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and American marten (Martes americana) and quantify habitat change for those species. We recruited 10 biologist and 10 trapper experts and then used the analytical hierarchy process to elicit expert knowledge of habitat variables important to each species. We applied the models to reference landscapes (i.e., registered traplines) in two distinct study areas and then quantified the change in habitat availability from 1990 to 2013. There was strong agreement between expert groups in the choice of habitat variables and associated scores. Where anthropogenic impacts had increased considerably over the study period, the habitat models showed substantial declines in habitat availability for each focal species (78% decline in optimal fisher habitat, 83% decline in optimal lynx habitat, and 79% decline in optimal marten habitat). For those traplines with relatively little forest harvesting, the habitat models showed no substantial change in the availability of habitat over time. The results suggest that habitat for these three furbearer species declined significantly as a result of the cumulative impacts of forest harvesting. Results of this study illustrate the utility of expert knowledge for understanding large-scale patterns of habitat change over long time periods.

Trap Cropping Systems and a Physical Barrier for Suppression of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Cotton.

Euschistus servus (Say), Nezara viridula (L.), and Chinavia hilaris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are economic pests of cotton in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. The objective of this 2-yr study was to determine the ability of trap cropping systems, pheromone-baited stink bug traps, and a synthetic physical barrier at the peanut-to-cotton interface to manage stink bugs in cotton. The physical barrier was the most effective management tactic. Stink bug density in cotton was lowest for this treatment. In 2010, boll injury was lower for the physical barrier compared to the other treatments except for soybean with stink bug traps. In 2011, boll injury was lower for this treatment compared to the control. Soybean was an effective trap crop, reducing both stink bug density in cotton and boll injury regardless if used alone or in combination with either stink bug traps or buckwheat. Incorporation of buckwheat in soybean enhanced parasitism of E. servus egg masses by Telenomus podisi Ashmead in cotton. The insertion of eyelets in the lid of the insect-collecting device of a stink bug trap allowed adult stink bug parasitoids, but not E. servus, to escape. Stand-alone stink bug traps were not very effective in deterring colonization of cotton by stink bugs or reducing boll injury. The paucity of effective alternative control measures available for stink bug management justifies further full-scale evaluations into these management tactics for control of these pests in crops.

Aptamer-based biosensors for the rapid visual detection of flu viruses.

RNA aptamers showing affinity and specificity for different strains of human influenza virus were assembled onto gold nanoparticles that subsequently formed a gold nanoshell (AuNS) around the viral envelope. These shells could be visualised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Changes in size and structure of the AuNS coated virus can be used to detect the viruses. We show that sedimentation with a low cost centrifuge and visual determination can detect 3 × 10(8) viral particles.

The sympathetic release test: a test used to assess thermoregulation and autonomic control of blood flow.

When a subject is heated, the stimulation of temperature-sensitive nerve endings in the skin, and the raising of the central body temperature, results in the reflex release of sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone in the skin of the extremities, causing a measurable temperature increase at the site of release. In the sympathetic release test, the subject is gently heated by placing the feet and calves in a commercially available foot warming pouch or immersing the feet and calves in warm water and wrapping the subject in blankets. Skin blood flow is estimated from measurements of skin temperature in the fingers. Normally skin temperature of the fingers is 65-75°F in cool conditions (environmental temperature: 59-68°F) and rises to 85-95°F during body heating. Deviations in this pattern may mean that there is abnormal sympathetic vasoconstrictor control of skin blood flow. Abnormal skin blood flow can substantially impair an individual's ability to thermoregulate and has important clinical implications. During whole body heating, the skin temperature from three different skin sites is monitored and oral temperature is monitored as an index of core temperature. Students determine the fingertip temperature at which the reflex release of sympathetic activity occurs and its maximal attainment, which reflects the vasodilating capacity of this cutaneous vascular bed. Students should interpret typical sample data for certain clinical conditions (Raynaud's disease, peripheral vascular disease, and postsympathectomy) and explain why there may be altered skin blood flow in these disorders.

Assessment of subtle cognitive-communication deficits following acquired brain injury: A normative study of the Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies (FAVRES).

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To present a new measure, the Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies (FAVRES), with evidence for its reliability and validity in a normative study. The FAVRES is designed to evaluate the subtle cognitive-communication deficits of individuals with ABI. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The FAVRES consists of four complex, contextually rich, verbal reasoning tasks that simulate everyday situations and require processing of text and discourse. Scoring considers the time, accuracy and justification of reasoning responses. The FAVRES scores of 52 adults with ABI were compared to those of 101 adults without ABI. OUTCOMES: FAVRES scores clearly differentiated the performances of individuals with and without ABI. Individuals with ABI were slower and less accurate in reasoning and presented fewer adequate rationales for their decisions. Inter-rater reliability for scoring was acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: The FAVRES provides a reliable, functional and quantifiable measure of the cognitive-communication difficulties of individuals with ABI.

The problem and management of sickness absence in the NHS: considerations for nurse managers.

AIM: This paper examines the topic of sickness absence management in the context of the healthcare sector. BACKGROUND: National Health Service (NHS) employee absenteeism is an expensive and difficult problem. Nurse managers need to assess the extent and characteristics of absenteeism, be aware of their organization's sickness policies, evaluate the effectiveness of these policies and contribute to the development of related initiatives to ensure prudent management of sickness absence. METHOD: A literature review has been undertaken, providing a broad conceptual context by which the problem of sickness absence in the NHS can be examined. The focus of this paper is to examine the accumulation of research based knowledge to provide a healthcare perspective on the problem of sickness absence management. CONCLUSION: Sickness absence management within the NHS is challenging but provides opportunities to improve the working lives of NHS employees. Sickness absence cannot be eradicated but it can be reduced by a selection of measures that reflect the uniqueness of the NHS. The many and diverse causes of sickness absence need acknowledgement, when devising strategies that can effectively provide solutions to the problems of sickness absence.

Relationship of fertility to ovarian follicular waves before breeding in dairy cows.

Cows with two waves of follicular growth during the estrous cycle yield follicles that are older and larger at ovulation compared with cows having three waves. The objectives of the current research were 1) to compare fertility in cows with two or three follicular waves and 2) to examine associations between luteal function, follicular development, and fertility after breeding. Follicular waves were monitored by ultrasonography during the estrous cycle before insemination in 106 dairy cows. Fewer cows had three follicular waves before next estrus and ovulation than two waves (P < 0.01; 30% vs 68%, respectively), but pregnancy rate was higher (P = 0.058; 81 vs 63%, respectively). Cows with two waves had shorter estrous cycles (P < 0.01), with the ovulatory follicle being both larger (P < 0.05) and older (P < 0.01). In cows with three waves, luteal function was extended (P < 0.05) and the peak in plasma progesterone occurred later (P < 0.05) in the estrous cycle compared to two wave cows. Considering cows that became pregnant, luteal phase length was shorter (P < 0.05) during the estrous cycle preceding insemination than for nonpregnant cows. In conclusion, fertility was greater in lactating cows inseminated after ovulation of the third-wave follicle that had developed for fewer days of the estrous cycle as compared with two-wave cows.

Comorbidity of psychiatric and substance use disorders in late adolescence: a cluster analytic approach.

Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of youths with past-year substance and/or psychiatric disorders (N = 110, mean age 19.0 years). Data for this study came from a community-based, prospective longitudinal investigation of speech/language (S/L) impaired children and matched controls who participated in extensive diagnostic and psychosocial assessments at entry into the study at 5 years of age and again at follow-up. Clustering variables were based on five DSM diagnostic categories assessed at age 19with the University of Michigan Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Using Ward's method, the five binary variables were entered into a hierarchical cluster analysis. An iterative clustering method (K-means) was then used to refine the Ward solution. Finally, a series of analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were run to analyze group differences between clusters on measures of Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), criminal involvement, anxiety and depressive symptomatology, and frequency of drug use and heavy drinking. The analysis yielded eight replicable cluster groups, which were labeled as follows: (a) anxious (20.9%); (b) anxious drinkers (5.5%); (c) depressed (16.4%); (d) depressed drug abusers (10%); (e) antisocial (16.4%); (f) antisocial drinkers (10%); (g) drug abusers (8.2%); (h) problem drinkers (12.7%). These groups were differentiated by external criteria, thus supporting the validity of our cluster solution. Cluster membership was associated with a history of S/L impairment: A large proportion of the depressed drug abusers and the antisocial cluster group had S/L impairment that was identified at age 5. Clarification of the developmental progress of the youths in these cluster groups can inform our approach to early intervention and treatment.

Clinical features of soft tissue sarcomas.

The presenting features of 526 patients referred to an open access 'lumps and bumps' clinic were reviewed to try and identify whether the four cardinal features of soft tissue malignancy were in fact predictive of this. The features investigated were: size bigger than 5 cm, pain, increase in size, depth beneath the deep fascia. All of these factors were found to be associated more frequently with malignancy than a benign state. Using the summed weights of evidence method we have constructed a graph which will allow prediction of whether a lump is likely to be malignant or not.

Effect of ramipril vs amlodipine on renal outcomes in hypertensive nephrosclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Incidence of end-stage renal disease due to hypertension has increased in recent decades, but the optimal strategy for treatment of hypertension to prevent renal failure is unknown, especially among African Americans. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (ramipril), a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (amlodipine), and a beta-blocker (metoprolol) on hypertensive renal disease progression. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Interim analysis of a randomized, double-blind, 3 x 2 factorial trial conducted in 1094 African Americans aged 18 to 70 years with hypertensive renal disease (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] of 20-65 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) enrolled between February 1995 and September 1998. This report compares the ramipril and amlodipine groups following discontinuation of the amlodipine intervention in September 2000. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive amlodipine, 5 to 10 mg/d (n = 217), ramipril, 2.5 to 10 mg/d (n = 436), or metoprolol, 50 to 200 mg/d (n = 441), with other agents added to achieve 1 of 2 blood pressure goals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the rate of change in GFR; the main secondary outcome was a composite index of the clinical end points of reduction in GFR of more than 50% or 25 mL/min per 1.73 m(2), end-stage renal disease, or death. RESULTS: Among participants with a urinary protein to creatinine ratio of >0.22 (corresponding approximately to proteinuria of more than 300 mg/d), the ramipril group had a 36% (2.02 [SE, 0.74] mL/min per 1.73 m(2)/y) slower mean decline in GFR over 3 years (P =.006) and a 48% reduced risk of the clinical end points vs the amlodipine group (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%-66%). In the entire cohort, there was no significant difference in mean GFR decline from baseline to 3 years between treatment groups (P =.38). However, compared with the amlodipine group, after adjustment for baseline covariates the ramipril group had a 38% reduced risk of clinical end points (95% CI, 13%-56%), a 36% slower mean decline in GFR after 3 months (P =.002), and less proteinuria (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Ramipril, compared with amlodipine, retards renal disease progression in patients with hypertensive renal disease and proteinuria and may offer benefit to patients without proteinuria.

Mathematical model of antibody targeting: important parameters defined using clinical data.

Antibody-targeted therapy of cancer has shown benefits in the treatment of some cancers but selective delivery has not been optimized. Many parameters influence antibody targeting; some will have a greater effect than others and their effects will generally be interrelated. They include effects of blood flow and pressure, vascular permeability, venous and lymphatic drainage, permeation through extravascular spaces, antibody clearance, specificity, affinity and resistance to degradation. Quantitative data about the behaviour of targeting systems can be collected, and it is possible to describe the system in terms of compartments interconnected by equations defining the passage of targeting agents between them. A mathematical model of antibody targeting can thus be built. We have collected data on the time course of the distribution of four different antibody molecules of molecular weight 27, 100 and 150 kDa directed against carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with colorectal cancer. Laboratory data were used for parameters which could not be measured in patients. These data have been used to test the validity of the model for man and to develop it so that it is consistent with the diverse clinical data. The model is then used to understand the effects of changes to a parameter on tumour targeting efficiency and to select those parameters which have the greatest effect in therapy. Affinity of antibody, flow of antibody through the tumour and rate of elimination of antibody from the tumour were shown to be the most powerful parameters determining antibody localization. These concepts can be used to determine design parameters for antibody-targeted cancer therapy.

Etanercept in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To review the classification, pathophysiology, safety, and efficacy of treatment options for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Etanercept, the agent most recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in JRA, is featured. DATA SOURCES: Articles were identified from a search of the MEDLINE database (1966 to January 2000) and through secondary sources. Meeting abstracts and posters were also evaluated. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Articles identified and retrieved from data sources were evaluated and, if determined to be relevant, were included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: JRA represents a major cause of functional disability in children. In contrast to traditional therapeutic agents for JRA, which act through generalized antiinflammatory activity or generalized immunosuppression, new therapeutic modalities have been developed that target specific molecules involved in the pathophysiology of JRA. Etanercept inhibits the activity of tumor necrosis factor and lymphotoxin-alpha. In a clinical trial of patients with polyarticular-course JRA, etanercept-treated patients experienced less pain and swelling in their joints, decreased incidence of disease activity, less frequent flare, and a longer time to flare than patients receiving placebo. Treatment with etanercept was generally well-tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Etanercept represents an exciting new therapeutic option for the treatment of JRA. The positioning of etanercept among other therapeutic options for JRA will be more clearly established as additional safety and efficacy data are made available.

Visualization of fibrillar amyloid deposits in living, transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans animals using the sensitive amyloid dye, X-34.

Transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans animals can be engineered to express high levels of the human beta amyloid peptide (Abeta). Histochemistry of fixed tissue from these animals reveals deposits reactive with the amyloid-specific dyes Congo Red and thioflavin S (Fay et al., J. Neurochem 71:1616, 1998). Here we show by immuno-electron microscopy that these animals contain intracellular immunoreactive deposits with classic amyloid fibrillar ultrastructure. These deposits can be visualized in living animals using the newly developed, intensively fluorescent, amyloid-specific dye X-34. This in vivo staining allows monitoring of amyloid deposition in individual animals over time. The specificity of this staining is demonstrated by examining transgenic animals expressing high levels of a non-fibrillar beta peptide variant, the beta single-chain dimer. These animals have deposits immunoreactive with anti-beta antibodies, but do not have X-34 deposits or deposits with a fibrillar ultrastructure. X-34 can also be used in vivo to visualize putative amyloid deposits resulting from accumulation of human transthyretin, another amyloidic protein. In vivo amyloid staining with X-34 may be a useful tool for monitoring anti-amyloidic treatments in real time or screening for genetic alterations that affect amyloid formation.

Fourteen-year follow-up of speech/language-impaired and control children: psychiatric outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between early childhood speech and language disorders and young adult psychiatric disorders. METHOD: In a longitudinal community study conducted in the Ottawa-Carleton region of Ontario, Canada, interviewers administered structured psychiatric interviews to age 19 participants who were originally identified as speech-impaired only, language-impaired, or nonimpaired at age 5. The first stage of the study took place in 1982 when participants were 5 years old, and the latest stage of the study took place between 1995 and 1997 when participants had a mean age of 19 years. This report examines the association between early childhood speech/language status and young adult psychiatric outcome. RESULTS: Children with early language impairment had significantly higher rates of anxiety disorder in young adulthood compared with nonimpaired children. The majority of participants with anxiety disorders had a diagnosis of social phobia. Trends were found toward associations between language impairment and overall and antisocial personality disorder rates. Males from the language-impaired group had significantly higher rates of antisocial personality disorder compared with males from the control group. Age of onset and comorbidity did not differ by speech/language status. The majority of participants with a disorder had more than one. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the association between early childhood speech and language functioning and young adult psychiatric disorder over a 14-year period. This association underscores the importance of effective and early interventions.

Alcohol intake, type of beverage, and the risk of cerebral infarction in young women.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between alcohol consumption and cerebral infarction remains uncertain, and few studies have investigated whether the relationship varies by alcohol type or is present in young adults. We examined the relationship between alcohol consumption, beverage type, and ischemic stroke in the Stroke Prevention in Young Women Study. METHODS: All 59 hospitals in the greater Baltimore-Washington area participated in a population-based case-control study of stroke in young women. Case patients (n=224) were aged 15 to 44 years with a first cerebral infarction, and control subjects (n=392), identified by random-digit dialing, were frequency matched by age and region of residence. The interview assessed lifetime alcohol consumption and consumption and beverage type in the previous year, week, and day. ORs were obtained from logistic regression models controlling for age, race, education, and smoking status, with never drinkers as the referent. RESULTS: Alcohol consumption, up to 24 g/d, in the past year was associated with fewer ischemic strokes (<12 g/d: OR 0.57, 95% CI 0. 38 to 0.86; 12 to 24 g/d: OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.86; >24 g/d: OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.43 to 2.10) in comparison to never drinking. Analyses of beverage type (beer, wine, liquor) indicated a protective effect for wine consumption in the previous year (<12 g/wk: OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.97; 12 g/wk to <12 g/d: OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.10; >/=12 g/d: OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.23 to 3.64). CONCLUSIONS: Light to moderate alcohol consumption appears to be associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke in young women.

Transesophageal echocardiographic findings in subcortical and cortical stroke.

Historically, subcortical stroke is believed to be secondary to intracranial small vessel disease. In this study, transesophageal echocardiographic findings such as aortic atherosclerotic disease and other potential cardiac sources of emboli were common in patients with subcortical stroke, supporting a multifactorial etiology for subcortical stroke and a role for transesophageal echocardiography in this patient population.

Lipoprotein (a) and the risk of ischemic stroke in young women.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: lipoprotein (a) (lp (a)) is a lipid-containing particle similar to LDL which has been found in atherosclerotic plaque. The role of lp (a) in ischemic stroke remains controversial, but some studies suggest lp (a) is particularly important as a risk factor for stroke in young adults. We investigated the role of lp (a) as a risk factor for stroke in young women enrolled in the Stroke Prevention in Young Women Study. METHODS: subjects were participants in a population-based, case-control study of risk factors for ischemic stroke in young women. Cases were derived from surveillance of 59 regional hospitals in the central Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania and Delaware area. Lp (a) was measured in 110 cases and 216 age-matched controls. Demographics, risk factors, and stroke subtype were determined by interview and review of medical records. RESULTS: lp (a) values were higher in blacks than whites, but within racial groups, the distribution of lp (a) values was similar between cases and controls. After adjustment for age, race, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, coronary artery disease, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, the odds ratio for an association of lp (a) and stroke was 1.36 (95% CI 0.80-2.29). There was no dose-response relationship between lp (a) quintile and stroke risk. Among stroke subtypes, only lacunar stroke patients had significantly elevated lp (a) values compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: we found no association of lp (a) with stroke in a population of young women with ischemic stroke. Small numbers of patients limit conclusions regarding risk in ischemic stroke subtypes, but we could not confirm previous suggestions of an association of lp (a) with atherosclerotic stroke in young adults.

Expedition health and safety: a risk assessment.

Little has been published on the risks of participating in an expedition. A questionnaire survey was conducted to quantify those risks and to determine how expedition organizers plan for medical mishaps. 246 expeditions, taking 2381 participants to more than one hundred countries, were studied retrospectively. 65 expeditions (26%) reported no medical incidents; the remaining 181 reported 835 in 130,000 man-days (6.4 per 1000 man-days). 59% of the medical incidents seen on expeditions were preventable, one-third of these being due to gastrointestinal upsets. 78% of medical incidents were classified as minor and only 5% (40) as serious. There was no excess of serious incidents in any particular organizational group or environment. The findings of this survey suggest that the health risks of participating in a well-planned expedition are similar to those encountered during normal active life.