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Here we summarize harvest and biological information for the Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) beluga to provide an updated stock assessment that combines science and Indigenous hunter knowledge. The number of EBS beluga whales harvested annually across its range has been variable, declining significantly over the available record in Canada (1980-2015). Including estimated and known loss rates from Canada and Alaska, the average annual removal of EBS beluga 2006-2015 (includes landed and struck but lost) was 145 whales (Standard Deviation 20.7). Catches in Chukotka, Russia, are < 10 belugas per year and we estimate mortality through ice entrapment averaged < 5 belugas per year from 1966 through 2015, but that too is highly variable from year-to-year. Declining interest and dependence on traditional foods and hunting, the high cost of hunting equipment and fuel, and increasingly challenging hunting conditions due to windier weather are described by hunters as the main reasons for the decline of the harvest over time. The decline in struck but lost rates is attributed to the establishment and implementation of beluga hunting by-laws by the local Inuvialuit Hunters and Trappers Committees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The Fisher 344 (F344) rat kidney transplanted to a Lewis rat recipient is a common model of chronic renal allograft nephropathy (CAN); however, CAN does not develop when the Lewis kidney is grafted into a F344 recipient. In this study we investigated whether a difference in nephron number/glomerular volume exists between the strains that could contribute to a greater susceptibility to development of kidney disease in the F344. Methods. Separate animals, male F344 and Lewis rats, were subjected to either sham surgery or right uni-nephrectomy and infarction of 2/3 of the left kidney, to produce a 5/6 ablation/infarction injury (5/6 A/I). Serial urinary protein excretions were measured, a terminal 24-h creatinine clearance was obtained and rats were killed 11 weeks after surgery and kidneys were harvested for pathology. Glomerular volumes were measured in the sham controls of each strain. Glomerular number was counted in separate, normal rats of each strain. Results. The normal F344 had ∼30% fewer glomeruli than Lewis rats that were larger in volume. The sham F344 had similar creatinine clearance and glomerular structure to the Lewis shams, although BP and urine protein excretion were higher. After 5/6 A/I the F344 developed more severe proteinuria and structural kidney damage. When factored for kidney weight, the F344 rats exhibited a greater compensatory hyperfiltration in response to 5/6 A/I, compared to Lewis. Conclusions. The F344 strain is more vulnerable to development of progressive kidney damage due to 5/6 A/I, compared to the Lewis. This is likely due to the lower nephron number/greater glomerular volume of the F344 that may also account for the greater susceptibility to CAN exhibited by this strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Total serum bile acid (TSBA) levels are elevated in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and may mediate cholestatic pruritus. Linerixibat, an ileal bile acid transporter inhibitor, improved pruritus in patients with PBC. We explored the relationship between linerixibat dose, TSBA concentration, and pruritus., Methods: Data from Phase 1/2 trials were used to develop a population kinetic-pharmacodynamic model to characterize the linerixibat dose-TSBA relationship. Individual Bayesian parameter estimates for participants in the GLIMMER study were used to derive the area under the TSBA concentration curve over 24 h (AUC 0-24 ). Time-matched post hoc estimates of AUC 0-24 were correlated with pruritus reported on a 0-10 numerical rating scale. Baseline TSBA concentration was correlated with change from baseline (ΔBL) in monthly itch score (MIS). ΔBL in model-estimated TSBA AUC 0-24 was correlated with time-matched ΔBL in weekly itch score (WIS) or MIS., Results: Linerixibat dose dependently reduced TSBA AUC 0-24 , reaching steady state after 5 days. Baseline TSBA levels in GLIMMER did not correlate with ΔBL in MIS. ΔBL in TSBA AUC 0-24 correlated with improved WIS over 12 weeks of treatment (r = 0.52, p < 0.0001). Of participants with a ≥30% decrease in TSBA AUC 0-24 , 60% were pruritus responders (≥2-point improvement in WIS from baseline)., Conclusions: Linerixibat treatment leads to rapid, dose-dependent TSBA reductions. Baseline TSBA levels do not correlate with on-treatment pruritus change, suggesting they do not predict linerixibat response. Change in TSBA AUC 0-24 correlates significantly with, and can be predictive of, pruritus improvement in patients with PBC., (© 2024 The Author(s). Liver International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This paper outlines a 2 year community-based action research program to develop strategies for increasing bicycle helmet wearing by children from a rural town in Queensland, Australia. The results of six program components are provided: student observations, focus groups (n = 50), baseline survey (n = 565), student workshops (n = 80), meeting with student representatives (n = 4) and helmet trialing program (n = 17). The children were encouraged to become active participants in the research and to develop practical strategies to increase helmet wearing. The main barriers to helmet wearing reported were poor design and peer group derision. The majority of children never wore a helmet and only 7% wore one whenever bicycle riding. Strategies suggested to make helmets more acceptable were: develop more comfortable and fashionable designs, and lower helmet costs. Students taking part in the baseline survey and workshops disagreed that helmet wearing should be compulsory; however, in later workshops and focus groups students said this was the only sure way of getting students to wear helmets. The program was not evaluated because of the non-interventionist strategy recommended by the students and the introduction of compulsory helmets. However, the project demonstrated that action research can be successfully used with children.