Wintering Bald Eagle Count Trends in the Conterminous United States, 1986-2010.

We analyzed counts from the annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey to examine state, regional, and national trends in counts of wintering Bald Eagles (Haliaeetusleucocephalus) within the conterminous 48 United States from 1986 to 2010. Using hierarchical mixed model methods, we report trends in counts from 11,729 surveys along 844 routes in 44 states. Nationwide Bald Eagle counts increased 0.6% per yr over the 25-yr period, compared to an estimate of 1.9% per yr from 1986 to 2000. Trend estimates for Bald Eagles were significant (P≤0.05) and positive in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. (3.9% and 1.1%, respectively), while trend estimates for Bald Eagles were negative (P≤0.05) in the southwestern U.S. (-2.2%). After accounting for potential biases resulting from temporal and regional differences in surveys, we believe trends reflect post-DDT recovery and subsequent early effects of density-dependent population regulation.

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty versus hemiarthroplasty for proximal humeral fractures: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To report and compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients treated with reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) or hemiarthroplasty for acute complex proximal humeral fractures. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SportDiscus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted. All published English language studies before January 2014 were reviewed for possible inclusion. Search terms included the following: proximal humerus, fracture, arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, RSA, and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. STUDY SELECTION: Studies reporting outcomes in human subjects after either RSA or hemiarthroplasty for acute proximal humeral fractures were assessed for inclusion. Additional inclusion criteria included a minimum clinical follow-up of 1 year. Level V evidence, basic science/cadaveric studies, and those studies reporting outcomes after revision arthroplasty were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Patient demographics, clinical/radiographic outcomes, and complications were recorded. Posttreatment weighted means were calculated and reported. Homogenous outcome measures were analyzed, and a direct comparison of outcomes between treatment groups was performed. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with RSA possess improved forward flexion (RSA: 118 degrees, Hemi: 108 degrees) but decreased external rotation (RSA: 20 degrees, Hemi: 30 degrees) compared with patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty after acute proximal humeral fracture. No significant clinical difference in either American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Score (RSA: 64.7, Hemi: 63.0) or Constant score (RSA: 54.6, Hemi: 58.0) was identified. RSA was associated with an increased rate of clinical complications (9.6%) and a lower revision rate (0.93%) at short-term to midterm follow-up compared with hemiarthroplasty. RSA offers an acceptable surgical option for patients after complex acute proximal humeral fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) breeding distribution and ecology: implications for population-level studies and the evaluation of alternative management strategies on large, regulated rivers.

Interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) (ILT) are colonial, fish-eating birds that breed within active channels of large sand bed rivers of the Great Plains and in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Multipurpose dams, irrigation structures, and engineered navigation systems have been present on these rivers for many decades. Despite severe alteration of channels and flow regimes, regulation era floods have remained effective at maintaining bare sandbar nesting habitat on many river segments and ILT populations have been stable or expanding since they were listed as endangered in 1985. We used ILT breeding colony locations from 2002 to 2012 and dispersal information to identify 16 populations and 48 subpopulations. More than 90% of ILT and >83% of river km with suitable nesting habitat occur within the two largest populations. However, replicate populations remain throughout the entire historical, geophysical, and ecological range of ILT. Rapid colonization of anthropogenic habitats in areas that were not historically occupied suggests metapopulation dynamics. The highest likelihood of demographic connectivity among ILT populations occurs across the Southern Plains and the Lower Mississippi River, which may be demographically connected with Least Tern populations on the Gulf Coast. Paired ecological and bird population models are needed to test whether previously articulated threats limit ILT population growth and to determine if management intervention is necessary and where. Given current knowledge, the largest sources of model uncertainty will be: (1) uncertainty in relationships between high flow events and subsequent sandbar characteristics and (2) uncertainty regarding the frequency of dispersal among population subunits. We recommend research strategies to reduce these uncertainties.

Human disturbance and stage-specific habitat requirements influence snowy plover site occupancy during the breeding season.

Habitat use has important consequences for avian reproductive success and survival. In coastal areas with recreational activity, human disturbance may limit use of otherwise suitable habitat. Snowy plovers Charadrius nivosus have a patchy breeding distribution along the coastal areas on the Florida Panhandle, USA. Our goal was to determine the relative effects of seasonal human disturbance and habitat requirements on snowy plover habitat use. We surveyed 303 sites for snowy plovers, human disturbance, and habitat features between January and July 2009 and 2010. We made multiple visits during three different sampling periods that corresponded to snowy plover breeding: pre-breeding, incubation, and brood-rearing and used multi-season occupancy models to examine whether human disturbance, habitat features, or both influenced site occupancy, colonization (probability of transition from an unoccupied site to an occupied site), and extinction (probability of transition from an occupied site to an unoccupied site). Snowy plover site occupancy and colonization was negatively associated with human disturbance and site extinction was positively associated with human disturbance. Interdune vegetation had a negative effect on occupancy and colonization, indicating that plovers were less likely to use areas with uniform, dense vegetation among dunes. Also, dune shape, beach debris, and access to low-energy foraging areas influenced site occupancy, colonization, and extinction. Plovers used habitat based on beach characteristics that provided stage-specific resource needs; however, human disturbance was the strongest predictor of site occupancy. In addition, vegetation plantings used to enhance dune rehabilitation may negatively impact plover site occupancy. Management actions that decrease human disturbance, such as symbolic fencing and signage, may increase the amount of breeding habitat available to snowy plovers on the Florida Panhandle and in other areas with high human activity. The specific areas that require this protection may vary across snowy plover life history stages.

Experimental evidence for the interplay of exogenous and endogenous factors on the movement ecology of a migrating songbird.

Movement patterns during songbird migration remain poorly understood despite their expected fitness consequences in terms of survival, energetic condition and timing of migration that will carry over to subsequent phases of the annual cycle. We took an experimental approach to test hypotheses regarding the influence of habitat, energetic condition, time of season and sex on the hour-by-hour, local movement decisions of a songbird during spring stopover. To simulate arrival of nocturnal migrants at unfamiliar stopover sites, we translocated and continuously tracked migratory red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus) throughout spring stopover with and without energetic reserves that were released in two replicates of three forested habitat types. Migrants moved the most upon release, during which time they selected habitat characterized by greater food abundance and higher foraging attack rates. Presumably under pressure to replenish fuel stores necessary to continue migration in a timely fashion, migrants released in poorer energetic condition moved faster and further than migrants in better condition and the same pattern was true for migrants released late in spring relative to those released earlier. However, a migrant's energetic condition had less influence on their behavior when they were in poor quality habitat. Movement did not differ between sexes. Our study illustrates the importance of quickly finding suitable habitat at each stopover site, especially for energetically constrained migrants later in the season. If an initial period prior to foraging were necessary at each stop along a migrant's journey, non-foraging periods would cumulatively result in a significant energetic and time cost to migration. However, we suggest behavior during stopover is not solely a function of underlying resource distributions but is a complex response to a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors.

Do tropical cyclones shape shorebird habitat patterns? Biogeoclimatology of snowy plovers in Florida.

BACKGROUND: The Gulf coastal ecosystems in Florida are foci of the highest species richness of imperiled shoreline dependent birds in the USA. However environmental processes that affect their macroecological patterns, like occupancy and abundance, are not well unraveled. In Florida the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) is resident along northern and western white sandy estuarine/ocean beaches and is considered a state-threatened species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that favorable nesting areas along the Florida Gulf coastline are located in regions impacted relatively more frequently by tropical cyclones. The odds of Snowy Plover nesting in these areas during the spring following a tropical cyclone impact are seven times higher compared to the odds during the spring following a season without a cyclone. The only intensity of a tropical cyclone does not appear to be a significant factor affecting breeding populations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Nevertheless a future climate scenario featuring fewer, but more extreme cyclones could result in a decrease in the breeding Snowy Plover population and its breeding range. This is because the spatio-temporal frequency of cyclone events was found to significantly affect nest abundance. Due to the similar geographic range and habitat suitability, and no decrease in nest abundance of other shorebirds in Florida after the cyclone season, our results suggest a common bioclimatic feedback between shorebird abundance and tropical cyclones in breeding areas which are affected by cyclones.

T118M PMP22 mutation causes partial loss of function and HNPP-like neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical consequences of the PMP22 point mutation, T118M, which has been previously considered to either cause an autosomal recessive form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease or be a benign polymorphism. METHODS: We analyzed patients from five separate kindreds and characterized their peripheral nerve function by clinical and electrophysiological methods. RESULTS: All heterozygous patients had clinical and/or electrophysiological features of a neuropathy similar to hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPPs). The homozygous patient had a severe axonal neuropathy without features of demyelination. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that T118M PMP22 retains some normal PMP22 activity, allowing the formation of compact myelin and normal nerve conduction velocities in the homozygous state. Taken together, these findings suggest that T118M is a pathogenic mutation causing a dominantly inherited form of CMT by a partial loss of PMP22 function.

Myositis Ossificans.

In brief Myositis ossificans can be a troublesome complication of a muscle contusion, with significant downtime for an athletic patient, but the long-term prognosis is excellent Early diagnosis is important not only for administering expedient treatment, but also for advising the patient against activities that could compound the injury Typical findings include local swelling, tenderness, erythema, and regional warmth. X-rays will usually be negative until 2 to 4 weeks postinjury. Differentiation from osteogenic sarcoma can usually be made by history; location, and radiographic appearance. Early treatment includes rest, ice, compression, and anti-inflammatory drugs; once inflammation subsides, stretching and strengthening can begin.

Quadriceps Strains and Contusions.

In brief Quadriceps injuries can follow direct or indirect trauma. Accurate diagnosis includes differentiating strains from contusions, along with assessing injury severity. Treatment that maximizes recovery and minimizes the risk of complications goes beyond rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Management of strains includes control of pain, swelling, and inflammation, as well as targeted stretching and strengthening exercises. Immediate care of a quadriceps contusion includes immobilization in flexion and is especially important for a quick recovery. After return to play, a thigh pad should be worn to protect the injury site.