Search

Un peu partout dans le monde, les aménagistes des pêches utilisent souvent des rondins pour réaliser des mouilles pour les salmonidés, souvent pour compenser l'absence de grands débris ligneux (LWD) due à la déforestation ou à d'autres perturbations des forêts alluviales. Des mesures des LWD réalisées sur 11 ruisseaux de montagne du Colorado drainant de vieilles forêts de résineux (Picea - Abies) montrent qu'ils sont à l'origine de la plupart des mouilles. Les morceaux qui contribuent à la formation des mouilles sont, en moyenne, plus grands que ceux qui n'en forment pas. La plupart enjambe le chenal perpendiculairement à l'écoulement et forme des mouilles de chute («plunge pool») et des mouilles de retenue («dammed pool»). Les aménagistes des pêches qui utilisent des troncs perpendiculaires à l'écoulement pour réaliser des mouilles considèrent généralement que cette addition d'habitat améliore la survie des salmonidés résidents pendant les périodes critiques comme l'hiver. Une expérience de longue durée, réalisée pour tester cette hypothèse dans six ruisseaux de montagne du Colorado, a montré que les populations de truites résidentes augmentaient rapidement et significativement dans des portions expérimentales de 250m, par rapport à des témoins adjacents. Cependant, des mesures de la dispersion réalisées par des piégeages et des recaptures de truites marquées ont montré que les mouilles formées par des troncs augmentent les populations de truites adultes en permettant aux truites qui étaient en phase de déplacement de rester dans les portions expérimentales plutôt qu'en améliorant la survie hivernale sur place, comme le décrivent d'autres auteurs. La recherche sur les salmonidés d'eau courante non migrateurs et leur gestion a jusqu'à présent été marquée par un modèle impliquant des déplacements limités, ce qui implique que les adultes soient relativement sédentaires. Cependant, l'analyse d'études antérieures sur les déplacements démontre que la plupart des expérimentateurs ne s'intéressent qu'aux poissons recapturés dans les portions où ils ont été relâchés, ce qui est critiquable si l'on souhaite mettre des mouvements en évidence. Le fait que les poissons présentent des déplacements conséquents a des implications importantes pour l'amélioration et la restauration de l'habitat, et plaide pour une gestion prenant en compte le bassin versant.

The Rocky Mountains in the USA and Canada encompass the interior cordillera of western North America, from the southern Yukon to northernNew Mexico. Annual weather patterns are cold in winter and mild in summer. Precipitation has high seasonal and interannual variation and may differ by an order of magnitude between geographically close locales, depending on slope, aspect and local climatic and orographic conditions. The region's hydrology is characterized by the accumulation of winter snow, spring snowmelt and autumnal baseflows. During the 2--3-month 'spring runoff' period, rivers frequently discharge > 70% oftheir annual water budget and have instantaneous discharges 10--100 times mean low flow. Complex weather patterns characterized by high spatial and temporal variability make predictions of future conditionstenuous. However, general patterns are identifiable; northern and western portions of the region are dominated by maritime weather patterns from the North Pacific, central areas and eastern slopes are dominated by continental air masses and southern portions receive seasonally variable atmospheric circulation from the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. Significant interannual variations occur in these general patterns, possibly related to ENSO (EI Nino-Southern Oscillation) forcing. Changes in precipitation and temperature regimes or patterns have significant potential effects on the distribution and abundance of plants and animals. For example, elevation of the timber-line is principally a function of temperature. Palaeolimnological investigations have shown significant shifts in phyto- and zoo-plankton populations asalpine lakes shift between being above or below the timber-line. Likewise, streamside vegetation has a significant effect on stream ecosystem structure and function. Changes in stream temperature regimes result in significant changes in community composition as a consequenceof bioenergetic factors. Stenothermic species could be extirpated asappro [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims of the Study: Non-adherence to immunosuppressive therapy in patients following solid organ transplantation is associated with an increased risk of transplant rejection and graft loss. A high pill burden can adversely affect patients’ implementation of their treatment regimens and may lead to omitting doses of medication. The aim of this study was to investigate medication implementation adherence in liver and kidney transplant recipients converted from twice-daily, immediate-release tacrolimus to once-daily, prolonged-release tacrolimus., Methods: This multicentre, non-interventional, observational, 12-month study evaluated implementation adherence in routine practice at five hospitals in Switzerland. Patients attended four clinical visits: at baseline (pre-conversion), and then at week 2, month 6 and month 12 post-conversion. Implementation was defined as consistently taking medication at the correct time and at the correct dose in order to achieve target tacrolimus trough levels. Implementation adherence was evaluated in three ways: using the Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications Scale (BAASIS) interview questionnaire (at baseline and month 12), investigator-rated patient adherence (recorded at all visits), and tacrolimus trough levels (assessed throughout the study; sub-therapeutic levels were predefined by the investigator on an individual patient basis, over-therapeutic levels were defined as tacrolimus trough levels >15 ng/ml). The primary composite endpoint was non-adherence according to the BAASIS at month 12, any post-conversion investigator adherence rating of “poor”, or sub-therapeutic or over-therapeutic tacrolimus trough levels at month 6 or 12. Secondary endpoints included: individual components of the composite non-adherence primary endpoint, tacrolimus pill burden, patient satisfaction, and adverse drug reactions., Results: Seventy-five patients received prolonged-release tacrolimus; 68 patients (46 kidney and 22 liver transplant recipients) completed the study. Of these 68 patients, 24 had missing data for at least one component of the primary endpoint; therefore, data for the primary composite endpoint were evaluable for 44 patients. Most (81.8%; 36/44) patients were non-adherent for the composite endpoint. Sub-therapeutic tacrolimus trough levels outside of the predefined therapeutic range were the largest contributor to the composite endpoint, and were detected in 62.0% (31/50) of patients. Overall non-adherence according to the BAASIS was similar pre-conversion (30.7%) and at 12 months post-conversion (28.3%). Investigators rated adherence as “poor” for two patients. Prolonged-release tacrolimus decreased tacrolimus pill burden in 66.7% of patients. All patients were very satisfied / satisfied with prolonged-release tacrolimus; 75.0% found it easier to remember to take prolonged-release versus immediate-release tacrolimus. Twenty percent of patients reported adverse drug reactions, with infections being the most frequently reported (9.3%)., Conclusion: Overall, 1-year non-adherence rates were similar following conversion from immediate-release to prolonged-release tacrolimus; however, prolonged-release tacrolimus intake was more convenient. No new safety signals were detected.

Background: Little is known about the ocular penetration of echinocandin antifungals. We studied the ocular distribution of systemically administered caspofungin in a rabbit uveitis model., Methods: Caspofungin (1 mg/kg per day) was given intravenously to rabbits as a single dose or as repeated daily doses on 7 days starting 24 h after induction of unilateral uveitis by intravitreal endotoxin injection. Caspofungin concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography in the cornea, aqueous humor, vitreous humor, and serum 4, 8, 16, and 24 h after administration of a single dose and 24 h after the last of seven doses., Results: The mean caspofungin concentration in the aqueous of the inflamed eye 4 and 8 h after single-dose administration was 1.30 +/- 0.39 microg/ml and 1.12 +/- 0.34 microg/ml, respectively. Drug concentrations decreased to 0.24 +/- 0.09 microg/ml at 16 h and 0.26 +/- 0.14 microg/ml at 24 h. In the vitreous of inflamed eyes drug levels were undetectable at all time points. No drug was found in the aqueous of inflamed eyes 24 h after the last of seven repeated doses, and the vitreous only contained trace amounts. In the corneas of inflamed eyes concentrations reached 1.64 +/- 0.48 microg/g at 4 h, peaked at 2.16 +/- 1.14 microg/g at 8 h, and declined to 1.87 +/- 0.52 microg/g and 1.49 +/- 0.48 microg/g at 16 and 24 h, respectively. After repeated dosing, corneal concentrations of caspofungin were 0.8 and 1.0 microg/g and below the limit of detection in two of four animals. In non-inflamed eyes no drug was detectable in the aqueous and vitreous humor, and the corneas at any time point., Conclusions: In our model, caspofungin reached therapeutically relevant levels in the aqueous and cornea but not in the vitreous humor of inflamed eyes. Intraocular drug deposition was critically dependent on a disrupted blood-eye barrier. These findings suggest a limited role for caspofungin in the treatment of fungal endophthalmitis.