Deformity, etiology, solution, sequence (DESS): Facial analysis in rhinoplasty.

PURPOSE: Rhinoplasty is amongst the most challenging surgeries to perfect and can take decades. This process begins during residency; however, residents often have limited exposure to rhinoplasty during their training and lack a standardized method for systematically analyzing and formulating a surgical plan. The DESS (Deformity, Etiology, Solution, Sequence) is a novel educational format for residents that serves to increase their pre-operative comfort with the surgical evaluation and intraoperative planning for a rhinoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study performed at a tertiary academic institution with an otolaryngology residency program evaluating three consecutive residency classes comprised of four residents per class. A 9-item questionnaire was distributed to measure change in resident comfort after utilizing the DESS during their facial plastics rotation. Questionnaire responses highlighted resident comfort with facial nasal analysis, identifying deformities, suggesting surgical maneuvers, and synthesizing a comprehensive surgical plan. RESULTS: Ten of the twelve residents surveyed responded. Of those that responded, comfort in facial nasal analysis, identification of common nasal deformities, surgical planning, and development of an overall surgical plan were significantly improved after completion of the facial plastic rotation. These residents largely attributed their success to the systematic educational format, with an average score of 4.8/5.0 (SD 0.42). CONCLUSION: While rhinoplasty is a challenging artform to master, systematic approaches to analysis and operative planning are vital for teaching and guiding residents. Through this novel methodology, residents display significant improvement in their comfort with facial nasal analysis and overall surgical preparation.

Host individual and gut location are more important in gut microbiota community composition than temporal variation in the marine herbivorous fish Kyphosus sydneyanus.

BACKGROUND: Gut microbiota play a key role in the nutrition of many marine herbivorous fishes through hindgut fermentation of seaweed. Gut microbiota composition in the herbivorous fish Kyphosus sydneyanus (family Kyphosidae) varies between individuals and gut sections, raising two questions: (i) is community composition stable over time, especially given seasonal shifts in storage metabolites of dietary brown algae, and (ii) what processes influence community assembly in the hindgut? RESULTS: We examined variation in community composition in gut lumen and mucosa samples from three hindgut sections of K. sydneyanus collected at various time points in 2020 and 2021 from reefs near Great Barrier Island, New Zealand. 16S rRNA gene analysis was used to characterize microbial community composition, diversity and estimated density. Differences in community composition between gut sections remained relatively stable over time, with little evidence of temporal variation. Clostridia dominated the proximal hindgut sections and Bacteroidia the most distal section. Differences were detected in microbial composition between lumen and mucosa, especially at genus level. CONCLUSIONS: High variation in community composition and estimated bacterial density among individual fish combined with low variation in community composition temporally suggests that initial community assembly involved environmental selection and random sampling/neutral effects. Community stability following colonisation could also be influenced by historical contingency, where early colonizing members of the community may have a selective advantage. The impact of temporal changes in the algae may be limited by the dynamics of substrate depletion along the gut following feeding, i.e. the depletion of storage metabolites in the proximal hindgut. Estimated bacterial density, showed that Bacteroidota has the highest density (copies/mL) in distal-most lumen section V, where SCFA concentrations are highest. Bacteroidota genera Alistipes and Rikenella may play important roles in the breakdown of seaweed into useful compounds for the fish host.

Suprascapular nerve blockage for painful shoulder pathology - a systematic review and meta-analysis of treatment techniques.

BACKGROUND: Suprascapular nerve blockade (SSNB) through injection (SSNBi) and/or pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) provide options for the management of painful shoulder pathology. Multiple techniques for delivery of SSNB are described but no consensus on optimal symptom control is available. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess patient-focussed outcomes in SSNB and explore the impact of variation in the technical application of this treatment modality. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL were searched for case series, cohort studies and randomised control trials published from database inception until 28 January 2021. Articles reporting use of SSNBi or PRF for treatment of shoulder pain with a minimum 3 months follow-up were included. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were extracted and the pooled standardised mean difference (SMD), weighted by study size, was reported. Quality of methodology was assessed using Wylde's nonsummative four-point system. FINDINGS: Of 758 references, 18 studies were included, totalling 704 SSNB. Average pain improvement at 3 months was 52.3%, with meta-analysis demonstrating a SMD of 2.37. Whereas SSNBi combined with PRF shows the greatest SMD of 2.75, this did not differ significantly from SSNBi or PRF when used as monotherapy. Location of treatment and the guidance technique used did not influence outcome. CONCLUSION: SSNBi and PRF provide safe and effective treatment for shoulder pain, as judged by PROMs. This may be of particular value in aging or comorbid patients and with surgical restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of technique, patients experience a marked improvement in pain that is maintained beyond 3 months.

High-throughput Method for Novel Medium Development for Culture of Anaerobic Gut Bacteria.

Gut microbiota play important roles in the health of their host and detailed investigation of these organisms requires in vitro culture. Culturing strictly anaerobic bacteria can be a challenge as the gut environment they inhabit is nutritionally complex. Use of complex media containing nutritionally rich but undefined gut fluid reduces the accuracy of physiological and metabolomic studies. Here we present a high-throughput protocol for comparing growth rates of fastidiously anaerobic bacteria on different media. These protocols can be used to develop a solid medium made up of commercially sourced ingredients, providing replicable growth conditions for previously uncultured anaerobic bacteria. As many fastidious bacteria grow poorly in a liquid broth, these protocols measure bacterial growth rate on solid media. These protocols speed up and simplify the growth rate measurement process by using a multiwell format and equations in place of physical McFarland standards to calculate approximate cell density. Bacterial strains belonging to the families Erysipelotrichaceae and Lachnospiraceae (phylum Firmicutes) isolated from the hindgut of Kyphosus sydneyanus were used to demonstrate the efficacy of these protocols. Bacterial growth rates were compared between a nutritionally rich medium with gut fluid versus a novel replicable medium with mannitol. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of solid YCFA growth medium Basic Protocol 2: Collection of fish gut samples and plating to single isolates Basic Protocol 3: Genetic identification of single isolates with colony PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing Basic Protocol 4: Measurement of bacterial growth rates on solid media.

Substrate degradation pathways, conserved functions and community composition of the hindgut microbiota in the herbivorous marine fish Kyphosus sydneyanus.

Symbiotic gut microbiota in the herbivorous marine fish Kyphosus sydneyanus play an important role in digestion by converting refractory algal carbohydrate into short-chain fatty acids. Here we characterised community composition using both 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun-metagenome sequencing. Sequencing was carried out on lumen and mucosa samples (radial sections) from three axial sections taken from the hindgut of wild-caught fish. Both lumen and mucosa communities displayed distinct distributions along the hindgut, likely an effect of the differing selection pressures within these hindgut locations, as well as considerable variation among individual fish. In contrast, metagenomic sequences displayed a high level of functional similarity between individual fish and gut sections in the relative abundance of genes (based on sequencing depth) that encoded enzymes involved in algal-derived substrate degradation. These results suggest that the host gut environment selects for functional capacity in symbionts rather than taxonomic identity. Functional annotation of the enzymes encoded by the gut microbiota was carried out to infer the metabolic pathways used by the gut microbiota for the degradation of important dietary substrates: mannitol, alginate, laminarin, fucoidan and galactan (e.g. agar and carrageenan). This work provides the first evidence of the genomic potential of K. sydneyanus hindgut microbiota to convert highly refractory algal carbohydrates into metabolically useful short-chain fatty acids.

Population-scale detection of non-reference sequence variants using colored de Bruijn graphs.

MOTIVATION: With the increasing throughput of sequencing technologies, structural variant (SV) detection has become possible across tens of thousands of genomes. Non-reference sequence (NRS) variants have drawn less attention compared with other types of SVs due to the computational complexity of detecting them. When using short-read data, the detection of NRS variants inevitably involves a de novo assembly which requires high-quality sequence data at high coverage. Previous studies have demonstrated how sequence data of multiple genomes can be combined for the reliable detection of NRS variants. However, the algorithms proposed in these studies have limited scalability to larger sets of genomes. RESULTS: We introduce PopIns2, a tool to discover and characterize NRS variants in many genomes, which scales to considerably larger numbers of genomes than its predecessor PopIns. In this article, we briefly outline the PopIns2 workflow and highlight our novel algorithmic contributions. We developed an entirely new approach for merging contig assemblies of unaligned reads from many genomes into a single set of NRS using a colored de Bruijn graph. Our tests on simulated data indicate that the new merging algorithm ranks among the best approaches in terms of quality and reliability and that PopIns2 shows the best precision for a growing number of genomes processed. Results on the Polaris Diversity Cohort and a set of 1000 Icelandic human genomes demonstrate unmatched scalability for the application on population-scale datasets. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The source code of PopIns2 is available from https://github.com/kehrlab/PopIns2. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The Influence of Religious Belief on Burnout in Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately half of all U.S. medical students are experiencing burnout. A previous study has demonstrated that higher levels of spirituality are associated with less burnout in medical students, yet no studies have examined the relationship between religious affiliation and burnout in medical students. The purpose of this study is to determine if specific religious affiliation and level of religious involvement is associated with less burnout in medical students. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was sent to all students attending five different osteopathic and allopathic medical schools in Kansas and Missouri. It contained a validated burnout measure, an item to identify religious affiliation, and items to quantify religious involvement. RESULTS: A response rate of 11.5% (495/4,300) was obtained. An ANOVA showed religious affiliations and burnout scores did not have any statistically significant relationships (F = 0.762, P = 0.619). Additionally, identification as an active participant within a religious affiliation had a statistically significant effect on burnout scores (F = 7.793, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study within the U.S. to show that religious affiliation is not associated with medical student burnout and that medical students who consider themselves to be active participants of their religion may be at lower risk of developing burnout, regardless of the faith they practice.

Population Trends of the Sugarcane Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Louisiana Sugarcane.

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is the primary pest of sugarcane, Saccharum spp., in Louisiana. Spring populations are not considered economically damaging, but quantifying infestations can provide an indication of the spatial and temporal character of the damaging summer populations. Statewide surveys quantified the density of sugarcane tillers killed by D. saccharalis (deadhearts) from sugarcane fields across the state in spring from 2003 to 2020. Deadheart density varied greatly among years with a high of 1,318/ha in 2003 to a low of 0/ha in 2018. Linear regressions of the 3-yr rolling average showed declines in spring D. saccharalis populations and the percentage of acreage treated with insecticides over 17 yr. Weather factors including minimum winter temperatures and average spring temperatures were poor predictors of D. saccharalis populations. Only total precipitation in the month of April was positively correlated with numbers of deadhearts per hectare. Results suggest overwintering mortality is not a key factor influencing populations of the first generation of D. saccharalis in Louisiana. Total precipitation in the month of July was positively associated with percentage of treated acreage. Spring deadheart density was directly related to percentage of acreage treated with insecticides during the summer. Quantifying first-generation D. saccharalis populations by recording deadheart density can aid in predicting pest pressure later in the growing season.

West Indian Canefly (Hemiptera: Delphacidae): An Emerging Pest of Louisiana Sugarcane.

The West Indian canefly, Saccharosydne saccharivora (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a sporadic pest of sugarcane in Louisiana which has recently emerged as a more consistent threat with outbreaks occurring in 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2019. Surveys of commercial fields in 2016 revealed that S. saccharivora infestations were present throughout Louisiana sugarcane and populations peaked in mid-June before declining. High minimum winter temperatures are generally associated with S. saccharivora outbreaks. Six insecticide evaluations demonstrated effective control with several insecticides including λ-cyhalothrin, flupyradifurone, acetamiprid, and imidacloprid. In five of the six insecticide trials, S. saccharivora infestations had substantially declined by 21 d after treatment. Effects of insecticidal control of S. saccharivora on sugar yields were detected in one of four small plot trials in which yield data were collected. Linear regression revealed S. saccharivora cumulative insect days in a grid sampling study were inversely associated with sugar yields. Results from these collective experiments suggest impacts on sugar yields are influenced by pest density and infestation duration. Differences were detected in numbers of S. saccharivora nymphs and adults as well as sooty mold coverage among commercial sugarcane cultivars with more than twofold increases in the most susceptible compared to resistant cultivars. The research presented herein documents the impact of S. saccharivora to Louisiana sugarcane and provides important ground work for developing effective pest management strategies. Future research efforts should aim to identify ecological factors influencing population dynamics, varietal preferences, and economic thresholds.

Analysis of TRPA1 antagonist, A-967079, in plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry / 药物分析学报

The noxious effects from exposure to toxic inhalation hazards (TIHs, such as isocyanates, chlorine, etc.) are known to be triggered by the activation of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) ion channel. Antagonists of TRPA1 have shown near complete attenuation of the noxious effects from TIH exposure. One of the TRPA1 antagonists, (1E,3E)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-methyl-1-pentene-3-one oxime (A-967079), has shown impressive efficacy, high selectivity, high potency, and oral bioavailability. Although a vali-dated method to quantify A-967079 in biological matrices is vital for the further development of A-967079 as a therapeutic agent, no method for its analysis from any matrix is currently available. Hence, a rapid and simple HPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to quantify A-967079 in rabbit plasma. The method presented here features an excellent LOD of 25 nM and a wide linear range (0.05-200 μM), with good accuracy and precision (100 ± 10.5％ and <14.2％ relative standard deviation, respectively). The stability of A-967079 in plasma was excellent for most of the storage conditions evaluated. The method was successfully applied to determine A-967079 from treated animals and it may facilitate the development of this TRPA1 antagonist as a therapeutic agent against the noxious effects of TIH exposure.

Elasmobranch bycatch in the demersal prawn trawl fishery in the Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea.

The elasmobranch bycatch of the Gulf of Papua Prawn Fishery is investigated in detail for the first time. Fisheries observers collected data on the elasmobranch bycatch from a total of 403 trawl sets (1,273 hrs) in the Gulf of Papua. A total of 40 species of elasmobranchs were recorded ranging in size from a 12 cm disc width stingray to a 350 cm total length sawfish. High mortality rates were recorded (>80%), attributed to the long trawl durations (up to 4 hours). The future inclusion of bycatch reduction devices would likely reduce the number of larger elasmobranchs being caught, based on evidence from the prawn trawl fisheries of northern Australia, and is being investigated by the PNG National Fisheries Authority. Differences in catch compositions were detected across the management zones as well as between the two monsoonal seasons (SE Monsoon and NW Monsoon). Increased monitoring and additional research is required and management plans should address the elasmobranch bycatch and in particular their high mortality rate.

Evaluation of TSEB turbulent fluxes using different methods for the retrieval of soil and canopy component temperatures from UAV thermal and multispectral imagery.

The thermal-based Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model partitions the evapotranspiration (ET) and energy fluxes from vegetation and soil components providing the capability for estimating soil evaporation (E) and canopy transpiration (T). However, it is crucial for ET partitioning to retrieve reliable estimates of canopy and soil temperatures and net radiation, as the latter determines the available energy for water and heat exchange from soil and canopy sources. These two factors become especially relevant in row crops with wide spacing and strongly clumped vegetation such as vineyards and orchards. To better understand these effects, very high spatial resolution remote-sensing data from an unmanned aerial vehicle were collected over vineyards in California, as part of the Grape Remote sensing and Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment and used in four different TSEB approaches to estimate the component soil and canopy temperatures, and ET partitioning between soil and canopy. Two approaches rely on the use of composite T rad, and assume initially that the canopy transpires at the Priestley-Taylor potential rate. The other two algorithms are based on the contextual relationship between optical and thermal imagery partition T rad into soil and canopy component temperatures, which are then used to drive the TSEB without requiring a priori assumptions regarding initial canopy transpiration rate. The results showed that a simple contextual algorithm based on the inverse relationship of a vegetation index and T rad to derive soil and canopy temperatures yielded the closest agreement with flux tower measurements. The utility in very high-resolution remote-sensing data for estimating ET and E and T partitioning at the canopy level is also discussed.

Evaluation of an 11.2% spinetoram topical spot-on solution for the control of experimental and natural flea (Ctenocephalides felis) infestations on cats in Europe.

Spinetoram is the newest member the spinosyn-class of natural products to be commercialized for flea control on cats in the United States under the tradename Cheristin® for cats. This report describes results from two laboratory studies and a multi-center clinical field trial designed to confirm the efficacy of a topical spot-on solution containing spinetoram (11.2% w/w, 130 mg/mL) against European strains of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. In the laboratory studies, cats were allocated to one of two treatment groups of eight animals each: negative control (mineral oil) or spinetoram, both applied as a topical spot-on at the base of the skull on Day 0. Cats were infested with ∼100 newly emerged, unfed adult fleas on Days -2 or -1, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. To calculate efficacy, fleas were counted and removed 48 h after treatment, and 48 h after each subsequent infestation through week 5. Spinetoram treatments provided 100% efficacy through at least day 16 and ≥ 97% efficacy (arithmetic mean) for one month. For the field trial, 23 clinics from Northern and Southern Europe participated in the study that compared the effectiveness and safety of spinetoram and fipronil/(S)-methoprene treatments over a period of two months. There were 258 and 248 evaluable efficacy cases for month 1 and month 2, respectively, with 300 total evaluable cases for safety. Treatments were administered on Day 0 and again on Day 30 (±3 days). The effectiveness of treatments was calculated based on reduction in live flea counts on Days 14, 30, 44 and 60 (±3 days) relative to flea counts obtained on Day 0. Efficacy (geometric mean percent flea reduction) on Days 14, 30, 44 and 60 was 97.0%, 95.0%, 99.3% and 99.1% for spinetoram, respectively, and 86.1%, 80.9%, 92.4% and 92.3% for fipronil/(S)-methoprene, respectively. Spinetoram was deemed non-inferior at all intervals and superior to fipronil/(S)-methoprene at Days 30 and 60. Clinical signs of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) were markedly improved following spinetoram treatment, as demonstrated through statistically significant reductions in severity of FAD scores for most of the clinical signs when compared to fipronil/(S)-methoprene treatment. There was a lower overall adverse event incidence rate for spinetoram (5.1%) versus fipronil/(S)-methoprene treatment (11.5%).

Artisanal shark fishing in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea: biomass estimation from genetically identified shark and ray fins.

Our study is the first detailed examination of species composition using DNA COI barcoding of elasmobranchs from an artisanal fishery of Papua New Guinea. The study is the first in the region to provide biomass estimates based on species confirmation following examination of dried fins. Over 20 species of elasmobranchs were identified from 623 fins from the artisanal fishery in Milne Bay Province of PNG, with Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and Carcharhinus melanopterus the most abundant species in the catches. Of concern, 21% of fins examined were from IUCN listed threatened species (Vulnerable or Endangered) with 8% of fins from the Endangered scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini). Following species identifications and use of species-specific length and weight extrapolations, we estimated over 9 t of elasmobranchs contributed to the fin batch. Importantly, the vast majority of the elasmobranchs in this batch were from immature animals. Genetic identification has an important role to play in the ongoing sustainable management of elasmobranchs in artisanal fisheries in PNG and more widely. However in the absence of ongoing genetic testing, recording the species (if known) at the time of catch is more achievable and would provide more robust data for fisheries managers in PNG over the longer term.

Catch composition and aspects of the biology of sharks caught by Thai commercial fisheries in the Andaman Sea.

Catch composition, landing patterns and biological aspects of sharks caught by commercial fishing fleet operating in the Andaman Sea were recorded from landing sites in Ranong province of Thailand over a period of 1 year. Of the 64 species previously reported in the existing Thailand checklist, only 17 species were recorded in this study. Shark landings from the Andaman Sea appear now to be dominated largely by bamboo sharks Chiloscyllium spp. (Hemiscylliidae), which contribute c. 65% of the total number of sharks recorded. The carcharhinid sharks comprised c. 30·5% to the total catch, while the remaining c. 4·5% of landings comprised sharks from the families Squalidae, Stegostomatidae, Sphyrnidae and Triakidae. The catch composition is remarkably different from the previous landing survey in 2004, in that the current study found noticeable declines in landings of slow-growing, late- maturing and low-fecundity species (especially sphyrnid and carcharhinid species). The absences of many species and changes in life-stage composition suggest that the populations of these groups may be close to collapse. The results from this study emphasize the urgency for additional research and monitoring efforts and also the need for management incentives in order to manage shark fisheries effectively in the Andaman Sea.

Variability in multiple paternity rates for grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini).

This study assessed the presence and prevalence of multiple paternity (MP) in litters of grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) opportunistically caught in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Litter size between species were significantly different with an average of 3.3 pups for grey reef sharks and 17.2 pups for scalloped hammerhead. Using 14 and 10 microsatellite loci respectively, we identified MP in 66% of grey reef sharks (4 out of 6 litters) and 100% MP in scalloped hammerheads (5 litters). We found high paternal skew (the uneven contribution of sires per litter) and a positive correlation between female adult size and litter size in scalloped hammerheads but not in grey reef sharks. Differences in the frequency of MP between species and the identification of paternal skew may be linked with mating strategies and post-copulatory mechanisms. Multiple paternity is thought to benefit populations by enhancing genetic diversity therefore increasing the population's genetic resilience to extrinsic pressures. The identification of MP in two shark species reported here, further elucidates the complex breeding strategies elasmobranchs undertake.

Crossing lines: a multidisciplinary framework for assessing connectivity of hammerhead sharks across jurisdictional boundaries.

Conservation and management of migratory species can be complex and challenging. International agreements such as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) provide policy frameworks, but assessments and management can be hampered by lack of data and tractable mechanisms to integrate disparate datasets. An assessment of scalloped (Sphyrna lewini) and great (Sphyrna mokarran) hammerhead population structure and connectivity across northern Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) was conducted to inform management responses to CMS and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species listings of these species. An Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) was devised to systematically incorporate data across jurisdictions and create a regional synopsis, and amalgamated a suite of data from the Australasian region. Scalloped hammerhead populations are segregated by sex and size, with Australian populations dominated by juveniles and small adult males, while Indonesian and PNG populations included large adult females. The IAF process introduced genetic and tagging data to produce conceptual models of stock structure and movement. Several hypotheses were produced to explain stock structure and movement patterns, but more data are needed to identify the most likely hypothesis. This study demonstrates a process for assessing migratory species connectivity and highlights priority areas for hammerhead management and research.

Initial evaluations of the effectiveness of spinetoram as a long-acting, oral systemic pulicide for controlling cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) infestations on dogs.

Spinetoram is a semi-synthetic, spinosyn class natural product derived from fermentation by the actinomycete, Saccharopolyspora spinosa. Based on LD50 (50% lethal dose) values against adult cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) using an in vitro contact assay, spinetoram was approximately 4-fold more potent than spinosad. Subsequently, two parallel-arm, randomized block design laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of orally administered spinetoram against experimental C. felis infestations on dogs, when administered as a single dose or multiple doses over a 6-12h interval. In the first study, 16 mixed-breed dogs were allocated to two treatment groups of eight dogs each, based on pre-treatment flea retention rates: negative (placebo) control; and a single dose of spinetoram at 30mg/kg. In the second study, 32 mixed- and pure-breed dogs were allocated to four treatments groups of eight dogs each, based on pre-treatment flea retention rates: negative (placebo) control; a single dose of 60mg/kg; three sequential 20mg/kg oral doses evenly administered over a 6h period; and three sequential 20mg/kg oral doses evenly administered over a 12h period. In both studies, treatments were administered to dogs in a fed state in order to enhance absorption of spinetoram. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed 24h after treatment and persistent efficacy was assessed 48h after each subsequent flea infestation. The duration of effectiveness was assessed at approximate weekly intervals beginning on Day 5 through Day 56 in the first study, or through Day 105 in the second study. In both studies, treatment efficacy was ≥99% (geometric means) through 44 d, with ≥99% efficacy continuing through 72 d for all three treatments in the second study. Efficacy remained ≥90% for at least 8 weeks with a single 30mg/kg dose; through 13 weeks with three sequential 20mg/kg doses; and through 15 weeks with a single 60mg/kg dose. For all time points and in both studies, spinetoram-treated groups had significantly fewer live fleas relative to their respective negative control group (p<0.05). The pharmacokinetic profile in dogs revealed that the mean plasma concentration of spinetoram required for effectiveness against fleas was maintained for at least 3 months regardless of whether the 60mg/kg total body dose was administered as a single bolus or in three sequential 20mg/kg doses administered over a 6-12h period of time. The results of preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that orally administered spinetoram was well tolerated, and provides long lasting effectiveness against C. felis infestations on dogs.