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This paper explores the nature of newspaper coverage of ‘cocooning’ as a public health measure at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland in 2020. The study, which focuses on coverage in The Irish Times, shows that the number of human-interest-framed articles on cocooning was approximately four times greater than the number of informative ones. This suggests that the proportion of human-interest and emotive stories diluted the volume of informative articles. The findings also point to an absence of significant official voices in the coverage of cocooning, such as key ministerial figures, which may have contributed to knowledge gaps. There was also a discernible gender bias, not just in experts quoted but also in the journalists who wrote news and feature articles. The study offers important lessons for government communication strategies in how important public information is provided to target groups.

Abstract Background Previously we performed a linkage scan of 638 African American affected sibling pairs (ASP) with type 2 diabetes (T2D) enriched for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Ordered subset linkage analysis (OSA) revealed a linkage peak on chromosome 7p in the subset of families with earlier age of T2D diagnosis. Methods We fine mapped this region by genotyping 11 additional polymorphic markers in the same ASP and investigated a total of 68 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in functional candidate genes (GCK1, IL6, IGFBP1 and IGFBP3) for association with age of T2D diagnosis, age of ESRD diagnosis, duration of T2D to onset of ESRD, body mass index (BMI) in African American cases and T2D-ESRD in an African American case-control cohort. OSA of fine mapping markers supported linkage at 28 cM on 7p (near D7S3051) in early-onset T2D families (max. LOD = 3.61, P = 0.002). SNPs in candidate genes and 70 ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) were evaluated in 577 African American T2D-ESRD cases and 596 African American controls. Results The most significant association was observed between ESRD age of diagnosis and SNP rs730497, located in intron 1 of the GCK1 gene (recessive T2D age-adjusted P = 0.0006). Nominal associations were observed with GCK1 SNPs and T2D age of diagnosis (BMI-adjusted P = 0.014 to 0.032). Also, one IGFBP1 and four IGFBP3 SNPs showed nominal genotypic association with T2D-ESRD (P = 0.002-0.049). After correcting for multiple tests, only rs730497 remanined significant. Conclusion Variant rs730947 in the GCK1 gene appears to play a role in early ESRD onset in African Americans.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, just 53 of the approximately 3500 juvenile justice residential facilities in the United States have received voluntary accreditation for facility health care from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. This suggests either that facilities do not meet the standards of care or do not seek accreditation. This study describes whether and under what conditions juvenile detention facilities (a narrowly defined subset of all facility types) adhere to some of the standards outlined by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and promoted by the American Academy of Pediatrics. METHODS: Data from 2 national censuses of juvenile justice residential facilities (n = 726) were used to describe detention facility performance in terms of 10 types of service provision, ranging from health screening to communicable-disease testing. Multivariate models predicting high levels of service provision were estimated. RESULTS: Juvenile detention centers partially meet some of the minimum standards. Most services can be garnered at some level; however, they tend to be provided on an ad hoc basis for portions of the population rather than systematically for the whole population. Detention centers most likely to provide a higher tier of services tend to be those that have longer average lengths of stay, are larger, and are government owned. There are also geographic and racial differences in quality and scope of health services. CONCLUSIONS: Juvenile facilities have been provided a single set of standards for a diverse system with tremendous variation across and within facility types. Detention centers are just one specialized type. Very few detention centers meet a minimum standard of care, which suggests that standards are simply not being met (hence the low levels of accreditation). The findings of this study call into question whether detention facilities with little in the way of health care infrastructure can benefit from National Commission on Correctional Health Care standards as they are currently packaged, regardless of whether accreditation is the ultimate goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity and, consequently, the interpretation of study results. Here, we analyze post-tagging effects on 1585 individuals of 42 terrestrial mammal species using collar-collected GPS and accelerometer data. Species-specific displacements and overall dynamic body acceleration, as a proxy for activity, were assessed over 20 days post-release to quantify disturbance intensity, recovery duration, and speed. Differences were evaluated, considering species-specific traits and the human footprint of the study region. Over 70% of the analyzed species exhibited significant behavioral changes following collaring events. Herbivores traveled farther with variable activity reactions, while omnivores and carnivores were initially less active and mobile. Recovery duration proved brief, with alterations diminishing within 4-7 tracking days for most species. Herbivores, particularly males, showed quicker displacement recovery (4 days) but slower activity recovery (7 days). Individuals in high human footprint areas displayed faster recovery, indicating adaptation to human disturbance. Our findings emphasize the necessity of extending tracking periods beyond 1 week and particular caution in remote study areas or herbivore-focused research, specifically in smaller mammals., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Unravelling the intricate mechanisms that govern community coexistence remains a daunting challenge, particularly amidst ongoing environmental change. Individual physiology and metabolism are often studied to understand the response of individual animals to environmental change. However, this perspective is currently largely lacking in community ecology. We argue that the integration of individual metabolism into community theory can offer new insights into coexistence. We present the first individual-based metabolic community model for a terrestrial mammal community to simulate energy dynamics and home range behaviour in different environments. Using this model, we investigate how ecologically similar species coexist and maintain their energy balance under food competition. Only if individuals of different species are able to balance their incoming and outgoing energy over the long-term will they be able to coexist. After thoroughly testing and validating the model against real-world patterns such as of home range dynamics and field metabolic rates, we applied it as a case study to scenarios of habitat fragmentation - a widely discussed topic in biodiversity research. First, comparing single-species simulations with community simulations, we find that the effect of habitat fragmentation on populations is strongly context-dependent. While populations of species living alone in the landscape were mostly positively affected by fragmentation, the diversity of a community of species was highest under medium fragmentation scenarios. Under medium fragmentation, energy balance and reproductive investment were also most similar among species. We therefore suggest that similarity in energy balance among species promotes coexistence. We argue that energetics should be part of community ecology theory, as the relative energetic status and reproductive investment can reveal why and under what environmental conditions coexistence is likely to occur. As a result, landscapes can potentially be protected and designed to maximize coexistence. The metabolic community model presented here can be a promising tool to investigate other scenarios of environmental change or other species communities to further disentangle global change effects and preserve biodiversity., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.)

To date, limited information is available on cytomegalovirus (CMV) and lymphocryptovirus (LCV) from Chlorocebus monkeys. We report here high detection rates of herpesviruses in free-roaming African green monkeys (AGMs, Chlorocebus sabaeus ) (26.4%, 23/87) and in captive AGMs (75%, 3/4) with respiratory disease on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts. LCV (81.25%) was more prevalent than CMV (18.75%) in the AGMs. Applying a bigenic PCR approach (targeting DNA polymerase (DPOL) and glycoprotein B (gB) genes), long sequences were obtained from representative AGM CMV (KNA-SD6) and LCV (KNA-E4, -N6 and -R15) samples, and mixed LCV infections were identified in KNA-N6 and -R15. The nucleotide (nt) sequence (partial DPOL-intergenic region-partial gB) and partial DPOL- and gB-amino acid (aa) sequences of AGM CMV KNA-SD6 were closely related to Cytomegalovirus cercopithecinebeta5 isolates from grivet monkeys, whilst those of AGM LCV KNA-E4 and -N6 (and E4-like gB of KNA-R15) were more closely related to cognate sequences of erythrocebus patas LCV1 from patas monkey than other LCVs, corroborating the concept of cospeciation in the evolution of CMV/LCV. On the other hand, the partial DPOL aa sequence of KNA-R15, and additional gB sequences (N6-gB-2 and R15-gB-2) from samples KNA-N6 and -R15 (respectively) appeared to be distinct from those of Old World monkey LCVs, indicating LCV evolutionary patterns that were not synchronous with those of host species. The present study is the first to report the molecular prevalence and genetic diversity of CMV/LCV from free-roaming/wild and captive AGMs, and is the first report on analysis of CMV nt/deduced aa sequences from AGMs and LCV gB sequences from Chlorocebus monkeys.

Assessing and predicting the persistence of populations is essential for the conservation and control of species. Here, we argue that local mechanisms require a better conceptual synthesis to facilitate a more holistic consideration along with regional mechanisms known from metapopulation theory. We summarise the evidence for local buffer mechanisms along with their capacities and emphasise the need to include multiple buffer mechanisms in studies of population persistence. We propose an accessible framework for local buffer mechanisms that distinguishes between damping (reducing fluctuations in population size) and repelling (reducing population declines) mechanisms. We highlight opportunities for empirical and modelling studies to investigate the interactions and capacities of buffer mechanisms to facilitate better ecological understanding in times of ecological upheaval., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests No interests are declared., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the present study, 31 samples (12 fecal, 9 nasal and 10 rectal swabs) from 28/92 (30.43%, 10 captive and 18 free-roaming African green monkeys (AGMs, Chlorocebus sabaeus )) apparently healthy AGMs in the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts tested positive for adenoviruses (AdVs) by DNA-dependent DNA polymerase ( pol )-, or hexon-based screening PCR assays. Based on analysis of partial deduced amino acid sequences of Pol- and hexon- of nine AGM AdVs, at least two AdV genetic variants (group-I: seven AdVs with a Simian mastadenovirus-F (SAdV-F)/SAdV-18-like Pol and hexon, and group-II: two AdVs with a SAdV-F/SAdV-18-like Pol and a Human mastadenovirus-F (HAdV-F)/HAdV-40-like hexon) were identified, which was corroborated by analysis of the nearly complete putative Pol, complete hexon, and partial penton base sequences of a representative group-I (strain KNA-08975), and -II (KNA-S6) AdV. SAdV-F-like AdVs were reported for the first time in free-roaming non-human primates (NHPs) and after ~six decades from captive NHPs. Molecular characterization of KNA-S6 (and the other group-II AdV) indicated possible recombination and cross-species transmission events involving SAdV-F-like and HAdV-F-like viruses, corroborating the hypothesis that the evolutionary pathways of HAdVs and SAdVs are intermingled, complicated by recombination and inter-species transmission events, especially between related AdV species, such as HAdV-F and SAdV-F. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection and molecular characterization of AdVs in AGMs.

Introduction: The increasing misuse of both prescription and illicit opioids has culminated in a national healthcare crisis in the United States. Oxycodone is among the most widely prescribed and misused opioid pain relievers and has been associated with a high risk for transition to compulsive opioid use. Here, we sought to examine potential sex differences and estrous cycle-dependent effects on the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone, as well as on stress-induced or cue-induced oxycodone-seeking behavior, using intravenous (IV) oxycodone self-administration and reinstatement procedures., Methods: In experiment 1, adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone according to a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement in daily 2-h sessions, and a dose-response function was subsequently determined (0.003-0.03 mg/kg/inf). In experiment 2, a separate group of adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone for 8 sessions, followed by 0.01 mg/kg/inf oxycodone for 10 sessions. Responding was then extinguished, followed by sequential footshock-induced and cue-induced reinstatement tests., Results: In the dose-response experiment, oxycodone produced a typical inverted U-shape function with 0.01 mg/kg/inf representing the maximally effective dose in both sexes. No sex differences were detected in the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone. In the second experiment, the reinforcing effects of 0.01-0.03 mg//kg/inf oxycodone were significantly attenuated in females during proestrus/estrus as compared to metestrus/diestrus phases of the estrous cycle. Neither males nor females displayed significant footshock-induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking, but both sexes exhibited significant cue-induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking at magnitudes that did not differ either by sex or by estrous cycle phase., Discussion: These results confirm and extend previous work suggesting that sex does not robustly influence the primary reinforcing effects of oxycodone nor the reinstatement of oxycodone-seeking behavior. However, our findings reveal for the first time that the reinforcing efficacy of IV oxycodone varies across the estrous cycle in female rats., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hinds, Wojtas, Gallagher, Corbett and Manvich.)

Coxiella burnetii is globally distributed but evidence of zoonotic transmission in the Caribbean region is scarce. The bacterium presence is suspected on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. The risk of exposure of veterinary students was reported in other regions of the world but is not documented in the Caribbean region. The present study aimed to evaluate the risk of exposure to C. burnetii for pre-clinical veterinary students (mostly coming from the U.S.) attending an island-based veterinary school. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare incoming and outgoing veterinary students' seroprevalence. Serology was performed using indirect immunofluorescence assay to test Coxiella burnetii Phase I and Phase II immunoglobulins M and G. Background data were gathered using a standardized questionnaire. A parallel study enrolled veterinary school employees in the same university. Of the 98 participants (48 incoming and 50 outgoing students), 41 (41.8%, 95 %CI: 31.9-52.2) were seropositive to C. burnetii . There was no significant difference between the two groups (45.8% for incoming vs. 38.0% for outgoing students) ( p  = 0.4). No risk factors (demographic, animal handling practices or background) were significantly more reported in the seropositive group. In the employee study, the seroprevalence was high with 8/15 seropositives (53.3%, 95 %CI: 26.6-78.7). Pre-clinical veterinary students do not have a higher risk of exposure to C. burnetii by attending the veterinary school in St. Kitts, but they are highly exposed before arrival on the island (seroprevalence of 45.8%). Most of these participants had experience with animals either through farming or previous veterinary technician employment. This indicates a high exposure in the U.S. young population aiming to become veterinarians. There is an urgent need to increase C. burnetii surveillance in animals and humans to apply relevant prevention and control measures, including recommendations for vaccination of students and professionals at risk., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Bioenergetic approaches are increasingly used to understand how marine mammal populations could be affected by a changing and disturbed aquatic environment. There remain considerable gaps in our knowledge of marine mammal bioenergetics, which hinder the application of bioenergetic studies to inform policy decisions. We conducted a priority-setting exercise to identify high-priority unanswered questions in marine mammal bioenergetics, with an emphasis on questions relevant to conservation and management. Electronic communication and a virtual workshop were used to solicit and collate potential research questions from the marine mammal bioenergetic community. From a final list of 39 questions, 11 were identified as 'key' questions because they received votes from at least 50% of survey participants. Key questions included those related to energy intake (prey landscapes, exposure to human activities) and expenditure (field metabolic rate, exposure to human activities, lactation, time-activity budgets), energy allocation priorities, metrics of body condition and relationships with survival and reproductive success and extrapolation of data from one species to another. Existing tools to address key questions include labelled water, animal-borne sensors, mark-resight data from long-term research programs, environmental DNA and unmanned vehicles. Further validation of existing approaches and development of new methodologies are needed to comprehensively address some key questions, particularly for cetaceans. The identification of these key questions can provide a guiding framework to set research priorities, which ultimately may yield more accurate information to inform policies and better conserve marine mammal populations., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press and the Society for Experimental Biology.)

Climate change is modifying the structure of marine ecosystems, including that of fish communities. Alterations in abiotic and biotic conditions can decrease fish size and change community spatial arrangement, ultimately impacting predator species which rely on these communities. To conserve predators and understand the drivers of observed changes in their population dynamics, we must advance our understanding of how shifting environmental conditions can impact populations by limiting food available to individuals. To investigate the impacts of changing fish size and spatial aggregation on a top predator population, we applied an existing agent-based model parameterized for harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena which represents animal energetics and movements in high detail. We used this framework to quantify the impacts of shifting prey size and spatial aggregation on porpoise movement, space use, energetics and population dynamics. Simulated individuals were more likely to switch from area-restricted search to transit behaviour with increasing prey size, particularly when starving, due to elevated resource competition. In simulations with highly aggregated prey, higher prey encounter rates counteracted resource competition, resulting in no impacts of prey spatial aggregation on movement behaviour. Reduced energy intake with decreasing prey size and aggregation level caused population decline, with a 15% decrease in fish length resulting in total population collapse Increasing prey consumption rates by 42.8 ± 4.5% could offset population declines; however, this increase was 21.3 ± 12.7% higher than needed to account for changes in total energy availability alone. This suggests that animals in realistic seascapes require additional energy to locate smaller prey which should be considered when assessing the impacts of decreased energy availability. Changes in prey size and aggregation influenced movements and population dynamics of simulated harbour porpoises, revealing that climate-induced changes in prey structure, not only prey abundance, may threaten predator populations. We demonstrate how a population model with realistic animal movements and process-based energetics can be used to investigate population consequences of shifting food availability, such as those mediated by climate change, and provide a mechanistic explanation for how changes in prey structure can impact energetics, behaviour and ultimately viability of predator populations., (© 2021 British Ecological Society.)

To robustly predict the effects of disturbance and ecosystem changes on species, it is necessary to produce structurally realistic models with high predictive power and flexibility. To ensure that these models reflect the natural conditions necessary for reliable prediction, models must be informed and tested using relevant empirical observations. Pattern-oriented modelling (POM) offers a systematic framework for employing empirical patterns throughout the modelling process and has been coupled with complex systems modelling, such as in agent-based models (ABMs). However, while the production of ABMs has been rising rapidly, the explicit use of POM has not increased. Challenges with identifying patterns and an absence of specific guidelines on how to implement empirical observations may limit the accessibility of POM and lead to the production of models which lack a systematic consideration of reality. This review serves to provide guidance on how to identify and apply patterns following a POM approach in ABMs (POM-ABMs), specifically addressing: where in the ecological hierarchy can we find patterns; what kinds of patterns are useful; how should simulations and observations be compared; and when in the modelling cycle are patterns used? The guidance and examples provided herein are intended to encourage the application of POM and inspire efficient identification and implementation of patterns for both new and experienced modellers alike. Additionally, by generalising patterns found especially useful for POM-ABM development, these guidelines provide practical help for the identification of data gaps and guide the collection of observations useful for the development and verification of predictive models. Improving the accessibility and explicitness of POM could facilitate the production of robust and structurally realistic models in the ecological community, contributing to the advancement of predictive ecology at large., (© 2021 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society.)

One Health faces enormous pressure and challenges as it attempts to mitigate dynamic, surprising and complex global events that threaten the health and sustainability of human and animal populations and the biosphere. One Health practitioners and researchers need every advantage to developing working solutions to the world's imminent complex issues. Heath promotion and harm reduction, interrelated approaches that have seen much success over decades of use in global public health, may be important models to consider. Both use an upstream socioecological determinant of health approach to reach beyond the health sector in all health efforts, and encourage active community participation and empowerment to attain and sustain human and ecological health. This scoping review of 411 documents, believed to be the first to relate health promotion and harm reduction to One Health, searched self-declared One Health research literature for evidence of health promotion and harm reduction policies, principles and methodologies. It sought to answer the questions: "What is the scope of practice of One Health in self-declared One Health publications?" and "Are attributes of health promotion and harm reduction found in self-declared One Health-reviewed research literature?" Over half of the papers revealed no health promotion or harm reduction attributes while 7% were well-endowed with these attributes. These 7% of papers focused on deep-seated, complex health issues with systemic knowledge gaps and decision-making issues revolving around specific population vulnerabilities, social inequities and competing stakeholders. Implementing 'on the ground change' was a common theme in the strongest health promotion/harm reduction papers we identified. Alternatively, papers lacking health promotion or harm reduction attributes focused on managing proximate risks, primarily for infectious diseases. The addition of health promotion and harm reduction to One Health practices may help the field rise to the growing expectations for its involvement in complex global issues like pandemics and climate change., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

AbstractIn marine environments, noise from human activities is increasing dramatically, causing animals to alter their behavior and forage less efficiently. These alterations incur energetic costs that can result in reproductive failure and death and may ultimately influence population viability, yet the link between population dynamics and individual energetics is poorly understood. We present an energy budget model for simulating effects of acoustic disturbance on populations. It accounts for environmental variability and individual state, while incorporating realistic animal movements. Using harbor porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ) as a case study, we evaluated population consequences of disturbance from seismic surveys and investigated underlying drivers of vulnerability. The framework reproduced empirical estimates of population structure and seasonal variations in energetics. The largest effects predicted for seismic surveys were in late summer and fall and were unrelated to local abundance, but instead were related to lactation costs, water temperature, and body fat. Our results demonstrate that consideration of temporal variation in individual energetics and their link to costs associated with disturbances is imperative when predicting disturbance impacts. These mechanisms are general to animal species, and the framework presented here can be used for gaining new insights into the spatiotemporal variability of animal movements and energetics that control population dynamics.

Background: Dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses (DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV) are transmitted in sylvatic transmission cycles between non-human primates and forest (sylvan) mosquitoes in Africa and Asia. It remains unclear if sylvatic cycles exist or could establish themselves elsewhere and contribute to the epidemiology of these diseases. The Caribbean island of St. Kitts has a large African green monkey (AGM) (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) population and is therefore ideally suited to investigate sylvatic cycles., Methods: We tested 858 AGM sera by ELISA and PRNT for virus-specific antibodies and collected and identified 9704 potential arbovirus vector mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were homogenized in 513 pools for testing by viral isolation in cell culture and by multiplex RT-qPCR after RNA extraction to detect the presence of DENV, CHIKV and ZIKVs. DNA was extracted from 122 visibly blood-fed individual mosquitoes and a polymorphic region of the hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene (HMBS) was amplified by PCR to determine if mosquitoes had fed on AGMs or humans., Results: All of the AGMs were negative for DENV, CHIKV or ZIKV antibodies. However, one AGM did have evidence of an undifferentiated Flavivirus infection. Similarly, DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV were not detected in any of the mosquito pools by PCR or culture. AGMs were not the source of any of the mosquito blood meals., Conclusion: Sylvatic cycles involving AGMs and DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV do not currently exist on St. Kitts.

Coxiella burnetii is a ubiquitous zoonotic bacterium reported worldwide that causes Q-fever. Infections result in profound economic losses to livestock producers by causing abortions and low birth weights. Current information about the disease in the Caribbean region is scarce. With multiple small islands and territories, it is often considered that the bacterium is absent or circulates at a low prevalence. Our study aimed to determine whether sheep and cattle housed at a veterinary campus in St Kitts had previous exposure to C. burnetii. Blood samples were taken from cattle ( n  = 63; 72% of the herd) and sheep ( n  = 133; 71% of the flock). Antibodies to C. burnetii were detected by a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IDvet® ELISA) test. The seroprevalence was estimated at 26.3% (95% CI: 19.1-34.7%) in sheep and 0% (95% CI: 0-5.7%) in cattle. Sheep importation to St. Kitts is very rare, thus, these results suggest that C. burnetii is present on the island. The seronegativity of all the cattle highlights the absence of the bacterium on the veterinary campus. The high seroprevalence in sheep, however, has potentially important implications for animal health and public health as well as for wildlife conservation. Further investigation about animal seroprevalence and human exposure are warranted in St. Kitts and in the Caribbean region., (© 2020 The Authors.)

In the original publication of the article, figure 1 was wrongly published as a duplication.

Over the past 20 years, GPS collars have emerged as powerful tools for the study of nonhuman primate (hereafter, "primate") movement ecology. As the size and cost of GPS collars have decreased and performance has improved, it is timely to review the use and success of GPS collar deployments on primates to date. Here we compile data on deployments and performance of GPS collars by brand and examine how these relate to characteristics of the primate species and field contexts in which they were deployed. The compiled results of 179 GPS collar deployments across 17 species by 16 research teams show these technologies can provide advantages, particularly in adding to the quality, quantity, and temporal span of data collection. However, aspects of this technology still require substantial improvement in order to make deployment on many primate species pragmatic economically. In particular, current limitations regarding battery lifespan relative to collar weight, the efficacy of remote drop-off mechanisms, and the ability to remotely retrieve data need to be addressed before the technology is likely to be widely adopted. Moreover, despite the increasing utility of GPS collars in the field, they remain substantially more expensive than VHF collars and tracking via handheld GPS units, and cost considerations of GPS collars may limit sample sizes and thereby the strength of inferences. Still, the overall high quality and quantity of data obtained, combined with the reduced need for on-the-ground tracking by field personnel, may help defray the high equipment cost. We argue that primatologists armed with the information in this review have much to gain from the recent, substantial improvements in GPS collar technology.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of hip osteoarthritis at the time of hip fracture increases treatment failure rates when using either a sliding hip screw (SHS) or proximal femoral nail (PFN) for fracture fixation., Methods: A retrospective study of a consecutive series of 455 women and 148 men (median age, 83.8 years) treated with SHS or PFN was performed. Osteoarthritis was evaluated based on pre-operative radiographs using the Kellgren and Lawrence grading system. Treatment failure, which was defined as non-union, avascular necrosis, backing out of the implant, cut out of the proximal screws, peri-prosthetic fracture, implant breakage, or conversion to hemi- or total hip arthroplasty, was evaluated for a follow-up period of four to seven years. Optimal placement of the implant (tip-apex distance (TAD) and 3-point fixation) and the effects of age, sex, the quality of reduction, implant type, fracture stability, fracture type, and time to failure were considered confounders of the relationship between failure and osteoarthritis (OA)., Results: Among the 32 cases (5.3%) of treatment failure, 12 (2%) showed evidence of osteoarthritis. After controlling for age, sex, the quality of reduction, implant type, fracture stability, fracture type, and TAD, osteoarthritis was associated a greater than threefold increase in treatment failure compared with that of patients without pre-operative evidence of osteoarthritis (OR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.4-7.65; P = 0.006)., Conclusions: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, radiographic evidence of hip osteoarthritis at the time of hip fracture increases the incidence of treatment failure.

Although canine parvovirus (CPV) and canine enteric coronavirus (CCoV) are important enteric pathogens of dogs and have been studied extensively in different parts of the world, there are no reports on these viruses from the Caribbean region. During 2015-2016, a total of 104 diarrheic fecal samples were collected from puppies and adult dogs, with or without hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts (KNA). By PCR, 25 (24%, n=104) samples tested positive for CPV. Based on analysis of the complete deduced VP2 amino acid sequences, 20 of the KNA CPV strains were assigned to new CPV-2a (also designated as CPV-2a-297A). On the other hand, the VP2 genes of the remaining 5 strains were partially characterized, or could not be sequenced. New CPV-2a was the predominant CPV variant in St. Kitts, contrasting the molecular epidemiology of CPV variants reported in most studies from nearby North and South American countries. By RT-PCR, CCoVs were detected in 5 samples (4.8%, n=104). Based on analysis of partial M-protein gene, the KNA CCoV strains were assigned to CCoV-I genotype, and were closely related to CCoV-I strains from Brazil. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection and genetic diversity of CPV and CCoV in dogs from the Caribbean region, and underscores the importance of similar studies in the other Caribbean islands., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We report here whole genome analysis of a porcine rotavirus-A (RVA) strain RVA/Pig-wt/KNA/ET8B/2015/G5P[13] detected in a diarrheic piglet, and nearly whole genome (except for VP4 gene) analysis of a simian RVA strain RVA/Simian-wt/KNA/08979/2015/G5P[X] detected in a non-diarrheic African green monkey (AGM) on the island of St. Kitts, Caribbean region. Strain ET8B exhibited a G5-P[13]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T7-E1-H1 genotype constellation that was identical to those of Brazilian porcine RVA G5P[13] strains RVA/Pig-wt/BRA/ROTA01/2013/G5P[13] and RVA/Pig-wt/BRA/ROTA07/2013/G5P[13], the only porcine G5P[13] RVAs that have been analyzed for the whole genome so far. Phylogenetically, all the 11 gene segments of ET8B were closely related to those of porcine and porcine-like human RVAs within the respective genotypes. Although the porcine G5P[13] RVAs exhibited identical genotype constellations, ET8B did not appear to share common evolutionary pathways with the Brazilian porcine G5P[13] RVAs. Interestingly, the VP2, VP3, VP6, VP7, and NSP1-NSP5 genes of simian RVA strain 08979 were closely related to those of porcine and porcine-like human RVA strains, exhibiting 99%-100% nucleotide sequence identities to cognate genes of co-circulating porcine RVA strain ET8B. On the other hand, the VP1 of 08979 appeared to be genetically divergent from porcine and human RVAs within the R1 genotype, and its exact origin could not be ascertained. Taken together, these observations suggested that simian strain 08979 might have been derived from interspecies transmission events involving transmission of ET8B-like RVAs from pigs to AGMs. In St. Kitts, AGMs often stray from the wild into livestock farms. Therefore, it may be possible that the AGM acquired the infection from a pig farm on the island. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection of porcine-like RVAs in monkeys. Also, the present study is the first to report whole genomic analysis of a porcine RVA strain from the Caribbean region., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

During 2014-2015, 270 fecal samples were collected from non-diarrheic, captive and wild African green monkeys (AGMs) on the island of St. Kitts, Caribbean region. By RNA-PAGE, picobirnaviruses (PBVs) were detected in sixteen captive AGMs. By RT-PCR and sequencing of partial gene segment-2, PBVs in 15 of these 16 samples were assigned to genogroup-I. The full-length nucleotide (nt) sequence of gene segment-2 of one of the genogroup-I PBV strains, strain PBV/African green monkey/KNA/016593/2015, was obtained using a non-specific primer-based amplification method with modifications. Gene segment-2 of strain 016593 was 1707bp long, and encoded a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of 538aa. Furthermore, the nearly complete gene segment-2 sequences of three other AGM PBV strains were determined using primers designed from gene segment-2 sequence of 016593. The gene segment-2 of the 4 AGM PBV strains were almost identical to each other, and exhibited a high degree of genetic diversity (maximum nt and deduced aa sequence identities of 66.4% and 65.3%, respectively) with those of PBVs from other host species. The 5'- and 3'- (except for one mismatch) end nt sequences and the three domains of RdRps were retained in the AGM PBV strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report on detection, and molecular characterization of complete gene segment-2 of PBVs in vervet monkeys. PBVs were detected for the first time from the Caribbean region., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, located on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts in the West Indies, hosted a multi-national, transdisciplinary One Health conference in St. Kitts and Nevis. Historically the many countries of the Caribbean carry a high burden of chronic and infectious disease and struggle with complex economic and developmental issues that continuously pressurize inhabitants and their natural environment. Considering these vast regional challenges, presentations covered diverse topics including community-based approaches for zoonotic disease control and prevention and mitigation of problems at the interface of wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. In two workshops the participants suggested a framework for practicing One Health in the Caribbean that emphasized capacity building and sustainability. Four structural components to the One Health paradigm were discussed including: identification of common problems, the necessity of comprehensive needs assessment, regional mobilization of resources, and building trust among all One Health stakeholders and the public.

Purpose: Peak heart rate (HRpeak) is a common tool used in exercise prescription for groups in which maximal exercise intensity is contraindicated; however, the application of this method in normobaric hypoxia is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the response of HRpeak and the application of predictive HRpeak equations to prescribe exercise intensity in acute normobaric hypoxia. Results were used to examine whether age-derived HRpeak predictive equations are valid in hypoxic conditions., Methods: Fifteen untrained (eight men) volunteers (age 22 ± 2 years; peak rate of oxygen consumption 46.3 ± 7.0 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) completed incremental cycle ergometer tests (randomised order) to measure HRpeak at sea-level (SL (ambient inspiratory oxygen fraction (FIO2) 0.209)) and four normobaric hypoxic conditions FIO2: 0.185, 0.165, 0.142, 0.125 (≈1,000-4,000 m)., Results: HRpeak was similar across all conditions (SL, 182 ± 13; 0.185, 178 ± 11; 0.165, 177 ± 9; 0.142, 178 ± 9; 0.125, 175 ± 10 b min(-1)) despite a reduction in oxygen saturation with increasing hypoxia (SL, 95 ± 5; 0.185, 95 ± 2; 0.165, 92 ± 2; 0.142, 88 ± 3; 0.125, 82 ± 4 %; P ≤ 0.05). The HRpeak was overestimated by all equations compared to the measured value (P < 0.05). Four equations overestimated HRpeak in all conditions (P < 0.01); two in four conditions (0.185, 0.165, 0.142, 0.125; P < 0.01); and two in three conditions (0.165, 0.142, 0.125; P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The overestimation of HRpeak by commonly used age-derived predictive equations in normobaric hypoxic conditions suggests that despite possible contraindications researchers should directly measure HRpeak whenever possible if it is to be used to prescribe exercise intensities.

Objective: Ascent to high altitude leads to a reduction in ambient pressure and a subsequent fall in available oxygen. The resulting hypoxia can lead to elevated pulmonary artery (PA) pressure, capillary stress, and an increase in interstitial fluid. This fluid can be assessed on lung ultrasound (LUS) by the presence of B-lines. We undertook a chamber and field study to assess the impact of high-intensity exercise in hypoxia on the development of pulmonary interstitial edema in healthy lowlanders., Methods: Thirteen volunteers completed a high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) test at sea level, in acute normobaric hypoxia (12% O2, approximately 4090 m equivalent altitude), and in hypobaric hypoxia during a field study at 4090 m after 6 days of acclimatization. Pulmonary interstitial edema was assessed by the evaluation of LUS B-lines., Results: After HIIE, no increase in B-lines was seen in normoxia, and a small increase was seen in acute normobaric hypoxia (2 ± 2; P < .05). During the field study at 4090 m, 12 participants (92%) demonstrated 7 ± 4 B-lines at rest, which increased to 17 ± 5 immediately after the exercise test (P < .001). An increase was evident in all participants. There was a reciprocal fall in peripheral arterial oxygen saturations (Spo2) after exercise from 88% ± 4% to 80% ± 8% (P < .01). B-lines and Spo2 in all participants returned to baseline levels within 4 hours., Conclusions: HIIE led to an increase in B-lines at altitude after subacute exposure but not during acute exposure at equivalent simulated altitude. This may indicate pulmonary interstitial edema., (Copyright © 2014 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study investigated the response of the ventilatory threshold (VT) to acute normobaric hypoxia and compared the agreement between software-based algorithms which use automatic detection to identify the VT. Results were used to examine whether the VT can be used as a physiological parameter to prescribe and monitor exercise intensity in hypoxic exercise training programs., Methods: Fourteen untrained individuals (7 women, 7 men; age 22 ± 2 years, [Formula: see text]O2peak 46 ± 7 mL kg(-1) min(-1)) completed five identical graded exercise tests (randomized order) on a cycle ergometer to measure VT at sea-level (SL) and in response to four normobaric hypoxic conditions (FIO2: 0.185, 0.165, 0.142, 0.125) equivalent to 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 m. Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures., Results: The VT was similar across all conditions (SL = 1.98 ± 0.46, 1,000 m = 2.03 ± 0.61, 2,000 m = 2.27 ± 0.62, 3,000 m = 1.84 ± 0.50, 4,000 m = 2.29 ± 0.58 L min(-1)) for all algorithms used despite a reduction in arterial oxygen saturation at 3,000 (P ≤ 0.01) and 4,000 m (P ≤ 0.01) compared with SL values., Conclusion: The VT appears to be a suitable physiological parameter for exercise prescription in normobaric hypoxia up to an altitude of 4,000 m.

An unusual case of osteomyelitis caused by Nocardia cyriacigeorgica infection and resulting in mandibular osteomyelitis and cellulitis (lumpy jaw) is described in a young cat. A 1-cm hard nodular mass was an incidental finding in the right mandible of a 14-month-old cat during routine physical examination. The lesion was fast growing, reaching up to 6 cm in its largest dimension over a 5-week period. A core biopsy of the affected mandible revealed foci of osteolysis, woven bone formation, and a few large clusters of filamentous bacteria surrounded by fine eosinophilic amorphous material bordered by neutrophils, plasma cells, macrophages, and occasional multinucleated giant cells. Pure cultures of acid-fast variable, Gram-positive filamentous bacteria were recovered on blood and chocolate agar plates at 48-hr postinoculation. On amplification and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA and 65-kDa heat shock protein genes, the microorganisms were identified as N. cyriacigeorgica, within the actinomycetes.

We present the case of a 32-year-old female who sustained a left acromioclavicular (AC) joint type V injury and brachial plexus injury. The patient's AC joint injury was identified 6 days after she was involved in a motorbike accident where she sustained multiple other injuries. She required operative fixation of the AC joint using a locking compression medial proximal tibial plate. At 3 months post operatively, the patient was found to have a subluxed left shoulder as a result of an axonal injury to the upper trunk of the brachial plexus. In addition, the tibial plate had cut out. The plate was subsequently removed. At 8 months the glenohumeral articulation had been restored and the patient had clinically regained significant shoulder function. After 15 months the patient was pain free and could complete all her activities of daily living without impediment. She returned to playing competitive pool after 24 months., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

The aim was to assess the effect of high altitude on the development of new immune memory (induction) using a contact sensitization model of in vivo immunity. We hypothesized that high-altitude exposure would impair induction of the in vivo immune response to a novel antigen, diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP). DPCP was applied (sensitization) to the lower back of 27 rested controls at sea level and to ten rested mountaineers 28 hours after passive ascent to 3777 m. After sensitization, mountaineers avoided strenuous exercise for a further 24 hours, after which they completed alpine activities for 11-18 days. Exactly 4 weeks after sensitization, the strength of immune memory induction was quantified in rested mountaineers and controls at sea level, by measuring the response to a low, dose-series DPCP challenge, read at 48 hours as skin measures of edema (skinfold thickness) and redness (erythema). Compared with control responses, skinfold thickness and erythema were reduced in the mountaineers (skinfold thickness,-52%, p=0.01, d=0.86; erythema, -36%, p=0.02, d=0.77). These changes in skinfold thickness and erythema were related to arterial oxygen saturation (r=0.7, p=0.04), but not cortisol (r<0.1, p>0.79), at sensitization. In conclusion, this is the first study to show, using a contact sensitization model of in vivo immunity, that high altitude exposure impairs the development of new immunity in humans.

A group of 38 researchers, policy makers, and practitioners from seven countries, speaking nine languages and representing diverse perspectives, gathered in May 2009 in Orlando, Florida, to establish the International Network for Justice Health. The Network can assist policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to improve the health of justice-involved populations; however, achieving progress will require individual and organizational commitment to working with colleagues across different disciplines and different countries. The Network aims to facilitate this collaboration and become a focal point for the sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Its priorities will continue to evolve and to be determined by members. As a collaborative venture, the Network is only as strong as its membership. Readers are encouraged to join (membership is free) and to contribute.

Unlabelled: PURPOSE/RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Adolescent girls involved in the juvenile justice system face a substantially higher risk for a host of reproductive health problems. This study is the first national overview of the extent to which Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities (JJRFs) are meeting their reproductive health needs. The primary focus is whether all girls/young women receive gynecologic services., Methods: Data are from the 2004 Juvenile Residential Facility Census, an ongoing national institution-level data collection. Respondents include facility administrators and facility health care providers. Mixed-gender and girls-only facilities are included in these analyses (n = 1,255)., Main Findings: Full population testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases occurs in <18% of all facilities. Although about 25% of all JJRFs report housing > or =1 pregnant teens, an equal number offers no obstetric services. Most JJRFs (about 85%) report that only some girls receive care from a gynecologist, largely "as necessary" and based on self-reports of sexual activity or suspected pregnancy. Provision of gynecologic services to all girls/young women is significantly more likely in all-female, state-owned, large population, and longer stay facilities and less likely in short stay, mixed-gender, crowded, and locally and privately owned facilities., Conclusions: Results indicate that most facilities can garner a few necessary services. However, contrary to recommendations of national organizations, the services tend to be provided in an ad hoc manner rather than to the full population of young women. Results of multivariate models predicting facility types most likely to provide full population services should be useful as leaders in the area retarget their recommendations to address this gap in services.

We have previously shown that serotonin type-3 (5-HT3) receptors mediate cholecystokinin (CCK)-induced satiation and that this effect is dependent on postoropharyngeal feedback. However, the independent contributions of gastric and intestinal feedback in 5-HT3 receptor mediation of suppression of food intake by CCK have not been determined. Using a sham-feeding preparation combined with intraduodenal sucrose infusion, we show that blockade of 5-HT3 receptors by ondansetron (1 mg/kg ip) had no effect on suppression of sham feeding by intraduodenal 15% sucrose infusion (4 ml/10 min), CCK (2 microg/kg ip) administration, or the combination of the two treatments. In separate experiments consisting of either sham-feeding rats that received gastric distension with the use of a balloon or real-feeding rats whose stomachs were distended using gastric loads of saline after the occlusion of the pylorus, we tested the hypothesis that gastric feedback signals are necessary for activation of 5-HT3 receptors. Ondansetron significantly attenuated suppression of sham sucrose intake after a 10-ml gastric balloon distension (30.5 +/- 2.2 vs. 20.2 +/- 2.2 ml, respectively) and gastric distension combined with CCK (21.9 +/- 1.4 vs. 12.0 +/- 1.7 ml, respectively). When intestinal feedback was eliminated in a real-feeding paradigm by closing the pylorus using a cuff preparation, ondansetron attenuated suppression of sucrose intake produced by a 10-ml saline gastric load (6.8 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.4 ml, respectively). Finally, when CCK (1 microg/kg) was administered in combination with a 5-ml saline gastric load in a real-feeding preparation, ondansetron significantly attenuated suppression of sucrose intake by CCK (9.0 +/- 0.9 vs. 6.3 +/- 0.5 ml, respectively), as well as the enhanced suppression of intake by CCK plus gastric load (6.9 +/- 0.6 vs. 4.6 +/- 0.5 ml, respectively). These findings demonstrate that CCK-induced activation of 5-HT3 receptors requires gastric, but not intestinal feedback.

Purpose: To provide the first national description of death in juvenile justice residential facilities., Methods: Data come from recent censuses of all public and private juvenile justice facilities in the United States. Death rates for the custody population are adjusted for length at risk, and are compared to death rates of adolescents in the general population. Multivariate modeling is used to identify facility-level risk factors related to deaths., Results: Adjusting for the number of days at risk, adolescents in juvenile justice facilities have lower risks of death by accident and homicide, but considerably higher risks of death from suicide and illness (200% and 50%, respectively). Facilities with larger Black populations, those that lock sleeping room doors, and facilities designed to screen young persons for future placements all had significantly higher odds of experiencing a death., Conclusions: The higher rates of death from suicide or illness suggest either (a) juvenile justice facilities host very high risk adolescents who would have died on the outside, (b) the facility environment itself increases the risk of death relative to the adolescents' environment outside the facility, particularly in the case of deaths from suicide, (c) placement in a juvenile justice facility may be indicative of a time of crisis in adolescents' lives in terms of physical or mental health and thus the risk of death increases, or most realistically, (d) some combination of the above. That deaths are more likely in facilities with larger Black populations warrants significant future investigation. Finally, the policy of locking sleeping room doors should be seriously evaluated in light of the strong association found with suicide.

Little is known about how facility-level characteristics affect the risk of suicide and suicide attempts in juvenile justice residential facilities. This leaves facility administrators and mental health providers without evidence-based guidance on how the facility itself affects risks. The current study uses data from two recently developed censuses of juvenile justice facilities in the United States to examine the relationship between facility-level characteristics and the likelihood of a facility reporting serious suicide attempts and deaths from suicide. Results suggest highest risks for facilities housing larger populations of Black young people and for facilities locking sleeping room doors. Lower risks are found for facilities screening all young people within 24 hours of arrival.

Objective: To provide a national description of suicide screening practices in juvenile residential facilities and to examine their association with whether facilities experience a suicide attempt., Method: Multivariate modeling with data from the 2000 Juvenile Residential Facility Census (n = 3690 facilities)., Results: Controlling for facility characteristics, screening the entire facility population within the first 24 hours after arrival is significantly linked to lower odds of serious suicide attempts (odds ratio 0.23-0.65). Facilities screening just some of their population in a 2- to 7-day window after arrival exhibited significantly higher odds of serious suicide attempts (odds ratio 1.30-4.73)., Conclusions: Results suggest that facility-level risks of serious suicide attempts may be reduced by screening every child and adolescent entering a juvenile justice facility within the 24-hour window directly following arrival, regardless of the facility size and whether the youths came directly from another facility within the system.

Studies on the risk of intentional re-injury tend to use samples of admissions to hospitals and conclude that prior intentional injury is predictive of future such admissions. Limiting samples to persons receiving medical attention misses the equally important population of those intentionally injured but not receiving medical attention. Approximately 2 million violence-related injuries go medically unevaluated each year in the United States. A significant portion of these are severe. Including this population captures the dark figure of untreated intentional injury and allows for the estimation of the effects of medical intervention on future risk. This paper tests the hypothesis that those going without medical evaluation will have higher odds of injury recurrence than the traditionally studied population of those receiving health care. Data are drawn from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), an ongoing and nationally representative longitudinal survey of households in the United States. The NCVS collects information at the household and person-level, and when victimization is identified through screener questions, at the incident-level. In addition to capturing crime and violence reported to the police and medical professionals, this methodology captures incidents that go unreported and untreated. Controlling for correlates of violence and reinjury, persons injured in violent events receiving medical attention alone, or in combination with police notification, are at substantially lower risk of incurring future violence and violence-related injuries than persons injured but not receiving medical or police attention.

Receptive field properties vary systematically across the different layers of the cat striate cortex. Understanding how these functional differences emerge requires a precise description of the interlaminar connections and the quality of information that they transmit. This study examines the contribution of the two physiological types of neuron in layer 6, simple and complex, to the cortical microcircuit. The approach was to make whole-cell recordings with dye-filled electrodes in vivo to correlate visual response property with intracortical projection pattern. The two simple cells we stained projected to layer 4, as previously reported (Gilbert and Wiesel, 1979; Martin and Whitteridge, 1984). Six of the eight complex cells that we labeled projected to the superficial layers, a pathway not previously described in the cat. The remaining two cells targeted the infragranular layers. Layer 4 is dominated by simple cells, whereas layers 5 and 2+3 are mainly composed of complex cells (Hubel and Wiesel, 1962; Gilbert, 1977). Hence, our results indicate that the ascending projections of simple cells in layer 6 target other simple cells. In parallel, the ascending projections of a population of complex cells in layer 6 favor other complex cells. Anatomical experiments in several species (Lund and Boothe,1975; Burkhalter,1989; Usrey and Fitzpatrick, 1996; Wiser and Callaway, 1996) had also demonstrated that layer 6 gives rise to two separate intracortical pathways. Pooling the results of these anatomical studies with our own suggests a common feature of the laminar organization: cells that project to different intracortical targets have distinct functional characteristics.

A sensitive and highly selective analytical chemical method for measuring the indole alkaloid ibogaine in biological samples has been developed. The method utilizes organic extraction, derivatization with trifluoroacetic anhydride, and detection by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The deuterated analog of ibogaine, O-[Cd3]-ibogaine, was synthesized and used as an internal standard for the method. Standard curves, constructed from variable amounts of ibogaine (50-400 ng) and a fixed amount of internal standard (250 ng) were linear. The method has an approximate detection limit of at least 20 ng/mL of tissue extract (180 ng/g tissue), with a coefficient of variation of 8 to 12.5%. Chemical stability studies with the method found that aqueous ibogaine solutions (1-10 mg/mL) could be stored at 10 degrees for up to 7 months with no more than 10% loss. The method was also used to measure brain ibogaine levels in rats 1 and 19 hr after a single dose of drug (40 mg/kg, i.p.); the results suggest a rapid disappearance of the drug after i.p. dosing. The method will help reveal the pharmacokinetic properties of this putative anti-addictive agent in animals and humans.

Previous studies in rats have shown that ibogaine inhibits neurochemical and behavioral effects of morphine yet potentiates similar effects of (+)-amphetamine. To assess whether these different functional interactions have a metabolic basis, brain levels of morphine and (+)-amphetamine were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after ibogaine pretreatment (19 h before injection of morphine or (+)-amphetamine). Ibogaine pretreatment had no effect on brain morphine levels, either at 30 min or 2 h after morphine injection; however, ibogaine significantly increased brain amphetamine levels at 30 min and, to a greater extent, at 2 h after (+)-amphetamine injection. These and other data suggest that ibogaine irreversibly inhibits an amphetamine-metabolizing enzyme. The functional interactions between ibogaine and (+)-amphetamine, but not those between ibogaine and morphine, may result from a hepatic drug-drug interaction.

The liver synthesizes blood coagulation factor XII (Hageman factor). The specific cell that expresses factor XII, however, has not been previously identified. We used primary rat hepatocytes cultured in serum-free medium to study the transcription, de novo synthesis, and secretion of factor XII. A 32P-labeled human factor XII complementary DNA probe was used for RNA blot hybridization. A single band of hybridization at 2.4 kilobases appeared in blots of polyadenylated RNA derived from 24-hour hepatocyte cultures. This corresponds to the known size of factor XII-processed primary transcript (messenger RNA). Cultured hepatocytes secreted labeled factor XII when tritiated leucine was added to the medium, indicating that the hepatocytes used 3H-leucine to synthesize factor XII de novo. In these hepatocyte cultures immunoreactive factor XII levels progressively increased in 24 hours and factor XII clotting activity increased in parallel. Cycloheximide inhibited the accumulation of both immunoreactive and coagulant factor XII. Secreted factor XII from the rat hepatocytes comigrated with authentic rat plasma factor XII at 80,000 molecular weight in a Western immunoblot. These data indicate that cultured hepatocytes transcribe, synthesize, and secrete authentic factor XII.

During a 4-month period, 31 of 156 ferrets (Mustela putorius) in a biomedical research program developed protracted diarrhea. Clinical signs were green mucohemorrhagic fecal material, partially prolapsed rectum, anorexia, body weight loss, and dehydration. Nine of the affected animals were necropsied. On gross examination, the descending colon was grossly thick and histologically characterized by marked proliferation of the mucosa, relatively few goblet cells, mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate, and penetration of the mucosal glands through the muscularis mucosa into the submucosa and tunica muscularis. Campylobacter fetus subsp jejuni was isolated from 6 of 9 ferrets with proliferative colitis. Warthin-Starry stained sections of hyperplastic colon revealed large numbers of organisms in the apical portion of epithelial cells, and organisms similar to Campylobacter spp were observed by electron microscopy in hyperplastic colonic epithelium. The proliferative colitis in the ferret is compared with the pathologic and bacterial features of similar intestinal proliferative diseases in swine and hamsters.

Ovohysterectomized female ferrets were housed in controlled environment rooms in which the daily lighting schedule was either 15L:9D (long days) or 9L:15D (short days). After 2 weeks some ferrets in each group were given an intrajugular catheter: beginning 1 week later, a blood sample was taken daily at one of eight different clock times over an 8 to 10 day period. One additional blood sample plus the pineal gland were collected from these animals and from uncathetarized animals in each group after decapitation at different clock times. Both plasma melatonin concentrations and pineal melatonin content were elevated in a square-wave pattern during the dark hours, with the duration of elevation being longer in ferrets kept under the short days. These results suggest that differences in the duration of nocturnal increments in melatonin secretion may mediate the stimulatory and inhibitory effects of long and short days, respectively, on ovarian activity in female ferrets.

Three experiments were performed to elucidate the endocrine mechanisms responsible for sex differences in the prepubertal play behavior of ferrets. In Experiment 1, gonadally intact adolescent males exhibited higher levels of "stand-over" behavior than females did in tests between 63 and 123 days of age with gonadally intact female partners of the same age. In Experiment 2, ferrets exposed to androgen or to ovarian steroids over Days 5-20 of postnatal life subsequently exhibited significantly higher levels of stand-over behavior in tests with female partners than did control females gonadectomized on Day 5 and not subsequently given any steroids. However, none of the subjects in Experiment 2 exhibited levels of stand-over behavior comparable to those of the gonadally intact males in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, males gonadectomized and implanted subcutaneously with testosterone capsules on Day 70 and tested with female partners at 84-96 days of age exhibited levels of stand-over behavior comparable to those observed in Experiment 1 in gonadally intact males of the same age (Weeks 12-14). Males gonadectomized on Day 70 and given no hormone at the time of testing exhibited significantly lower levels of this behavior. Significantly lower levels of this behavior were also exhibited by males gonadectomized on Day 35 and females gonadectomized on Day 70 regardless of whether they were tested with testosterone present after Day 70. Sex differences in the expression of prepubertal play behavior of ferrets apparently result from differential exposure of males and females to androgen over an extended postnatal period.

Groups of female ferrets born in the laboratory received sc Silastic capsules containing testosterone (T), 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), 17 beta-estradiol (E), or no steroid for 15 days beginning on the day of birth; an additional group of male ferrets received empty sc capsules neonatally. All ferrets were gonadectomized at 11 weeks of age and were subsequently tested for masculine and feminine sexual behaviors while being treated consecutively over an 8-month period with several different gonadal steroids. The ability to display masculine sexual behavior was studied in the absence of replacement hormones and during a counterbalanced sequence of treatments with Silastic capsules containing T, E, or DHT. The maximal amount of neck grip, mount, and pelvic thrusting behavior displayed, regardless of adult endocrine treatment, was significantly greater in control male and neonatally T-treated females than in females that had received no hormone, E, or DHT neonatally. Animals in all five groups displayed equivalent increments in sexual receptivity in response to daily sc injections of increasing dosages of estradiol benzoate. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of plasma collected from newborn female ferrets revealed no binding of either [3H]E or [3H]T, whereas two binding peaks were found for [3H]DHT. After the administration of androgen in adulthood, equivalent clitoral growth and ossification occurred in females given either T or DHT neonatally. These results suggest that in ferrets, behavioral masculinization occurs in response to neonatal exposure to T itself and not to its major neural metabolites, E and DHT. They also show that behavioral defeminization fails to occur in ferrets even after neonatal exposure to pharmacological amounts of E, T, or DHT.

Male ferrets born in the laboratory received subcutaneous Silastic capsules containing either the aromatase inhibitor, androst-1,4,6-triene-3, 17-dione (ATD), the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, testosterone-17 beta-carboxylic acid (17 beta C), or no hormone, for 15 days beginning on the day of birth; an additional group of females received empty Silastic capsules. All ferrets were gonadectomized when 11 weeks of age and were subsequently tested for masculine sexual behavior after a latin-square sequence of treatments with subcutaneous Silastic capsules containing testosterone (T), estradiol (E), or dihydrotestosterone (DHT). After T, control males displayed significantly more neck gripping, mounting and pelvic thrusting than control females, and males treated neonatally with ATD or 17 beta C were no less responsive than control males. After DHT, little masculine sexual behavior was shown by any group. After E, the duration of mounting was significantly longer in control and ATD males than in control females or 17 beta C males. Subsequently, however, there were no differences between control and 17 beta C males on any parameter of masculine sexual performance, when they were retested sequentially after subcutaneous implantation of E followed by E + DHT. Additional groups of newborn male and female ferrets received subcutaneous capsules containing either ATD, 17 beta C, or no hormone and were killed on postnatal day 7. Administration of ATD, but not 17 beta C, strongly inhibited aromatase activity in the hypothalamus + preoptic area. In all groups, the formation of significantly inhibited cortical 5 alpha-reductase activity. Plasma concentrations of T were equivalent on postnatal day 7 in males given each of the neonatal treatments. These results suggest that behavioral masculinization in the male ferret results primarily from the neonatal action in brain of T itself, and not from its estrogenic or 5 alpha-reduced androgenic metabolites.