Stressful, isolated, yet diverse: Green roofs have rich microbiomes that are not dominated by oligotrophic taxa.

Green roofs are unique ecosystems combining two major community assembly filters, namely stress and spatial isolation. As such, they represent an interesting model ecosystem in community ecology. In this study, we characterized the microbiome structure on 19 green roofs and 5 urban parks as a benchmark comparison (i.

Regional variation drives differences in microbial communities associated with sugar maple across a latitudinal range.

Climate change is prompting plants to migrate and establish novel interactions in new habitats. Because of the pivotal roles that microbes have on plant health and function, it is important to understand the ecological consequences of these shifts in host-microbe interactions with range expansion. Here we examine how the diversity of plant-associated microbes varies along the host's current range and extended range according with climate change predictions, and assess the relative influence of host genotype (seed provenance) and environment in structuring the host microbiome.

Hyperinsulinemia/euglycemia and intravenous lipid emulsion therapy for the management of severe amlodipine toxicosis in a cat.

Calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) are widely used in people and animals. Overdose can result in cardiovascular collapse and death. Hyperinsulinemia/euglycemia therapy (HIET) and intralipid therapy (ILT) are reported treatment options in people.

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion secondary to trauma in a dog.

Objective: To describe a case of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion in a dog secondary to trauma.

Case Summary: A 14-year-old neutered female mixed breed dog presented for evaluation of bite wounds. The dog sustained multiple puncture wounds to the cervical area, stifle, and elbow.

Evaluation of the quick sequential organ failure assessment score plus lactate in critically ill dogs.

Objectives: To apply the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) score to dogs admitted to a veterinary ICU, and evaluate whether the addition of lactate increased the predictive ability of the score.

Materials And Methods: A quick sequential organ failure assessment score of 0, 1, 2, or 3 was assigned to each dog based on the following criteria: respiratory rate >22 breaths per minute, altered mentation, systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg. Lactate was added to quick sequential organ failure assessment in an LqSOFA model and assigned to each patient.

The successful treatment of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and severe hypernatremia, secondary to joint supplement toxicity in a dog.

Objective: To describe a case of the successful management of hypernatremia and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome secondary to joint supplement toxicity in a dog.

Case Summary: A 6-year-old neutered male Dachshund was presented for severe hypernatremia and neurological abnormalities after ingestion of a large quantity of joint supplements. The patient developed evidence of multiple organ dysfunction in the form of increased hepatocellular enzymes, prolongation of prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times, azotemia, and thrombocytopenia.

"Acute onset tetraplegia associated with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and suspected secondary intraspinal hemorrhage in a dog".

Neurologic manifestations of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia are uncommon, and limited reports exist in human and veterinary medicine. This report documents acute onset of tetraplegia in a dog with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and suspected secondary intraspinal hemorrhage with subsequent recovery of neurologic function following treatment.

Xylitol toxicosis and serotonin-like syndrome occurring simultaneously in a dog secondary to ingestion of Natrol 5-HTP Fast Dissolve Tablets.

Xylitol and serotonergic compounds are included in the manufacture of numerous over-the-counter products. Both compounds have been documented to cause toxicosis in dogs. This report details the first case of simultaneous xylitol toxicosis and serotonin-like syndrome in a dog, secondary to ingestion of a single over-the-counter product.

The use of intralipid emulsion therapy to treat severe cardiotoxicity secondary to lamotrigine ingestion in a dog.

Lamotrigine is a sodium and calcium channel blocker, used to treat seizures in people. Dogs metabolize Lamotrigine to a cardiotoxic metabolite that causes severe, often fatal ventricular arrhythmias. This report documents the successful treatment of refractory Lamotrigine cardiotoxicity in a dog, using intralipid emulsion therapy.

Central diabetes insipidus following cardiopulmonary arrest in a dog.

Objective: To describe a clinical case of transient central diabetes insipidus (CDI) occurring post cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in a dog.

Case Summary: An 8-week-old dog presented for intensive care after successful resuscitation following CPA. The patient exhibited neurologic deficits at initial presentation and over the following days developed marked polyuria, isosthenuria, and low urine osmolality.

Clinical predictors of antibiotic prescribing for acutely ill children in primary care: an observational study.

Background: Antibiotic overuse and inappropriate prescribing drive antibiotic resistance. Children account for a high proportion of antibiotics prescribed in primary care.

Aim: To determine the predictors of antibiotic prescription in young children presenting to UK general practices with acute illness.

Central auditory processing disorders in children and adults.

Central auditory processing disorders (CAPD) can affect children and adults of all ages due to a wide variety of causes. CAPD is a neurobiologic deficit in the central auditory nervous system (CANS) that affects those mechanisms that underlie fundamental auditory perception, including localization and lateralization; discrimination of speech and non-speech sounds; auditory pattern recognition; temporal aspects of audition, including integration, resolution, ordering, and masking; and auditory performance with competing and/or degraded acoustic signals (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2005a, b). Although it is recognized that central auditory dysfunction may coexist with other disorders, CAPD is conceptualized as a sensory-based auditory disorder.

Treatment strategy in a child with a retained bullet in the cerebellomedullary cistern.

A 6-year-old girl was admitted to our emergency room because of a gunshot wound in the posterior craniocervical junction. On admission, she was alert, but left hemiplegia and right hemiparesis were noted. Cranial CT scanning showed a retained bullet in the cerebellomedullary cistern without bone destruction.

Efficacy of auditory interventions for central auditory processing disorder: a response to Fey et al. (2011).

Purpose: To provide a commentary on "Auditory Processing Disorder and Auditory/Language Interventions: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review" by Fey et al. (2011).

Method: Examination of the conclusions drawn by Fey et al.

The utility of visual analogs of central auditory tests in the differential diagnosis of (central) auditory processing disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Background: Cacace and McFarland (2005) have suggested that the addition of cross-modal analogs will improve the diagnostic specificity of (C)APD (central auditory processing disorder) by ensuring that deficits observed are due to the auditory nature of the stimulus and not to supra-modal or other confounds. Others (e.g.

Performance of normal adults and children on central auditory diagnostic tests and their corresponding visual analogs.

Background: It has been suggested that, in order to validate a diagnosis of (C)APD (central auditory processing disorder), testing using direct cross-modal analogs should be performed to demonstrate that deficits exist solely or primarily in the auditory modality (McFarland and Cacace, 1995; Cacace and McFarland, 2005). This modality-specific viewpoint is controversial and not universally accepted (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2005; Musiek et al, 2005). Further, no such analogs have been developed to date, and neither the feasibility of such testing in normally functioning individuals nor the concurrent validity of cross-modal analogs has been established.

The relationship between brainstem temporal processing and performance on tests of central auditory function in children with reading disorders.

Purpose: Studies using speech stimuli to elicit electrophysiologic responses have found approximately 30% of children with language-based learning problems demonstrate abnormal brainstem timing. Research is needed regarding how these responses relate to performance on behavioral tests of central auditory function. The purpose of the study was to investigate performance of children with dyslexia with and without abnormal brainstem timing and children with no history of learning or related disorders on behavioral tests of central auditory function.

Hemispheric lateralization of bilaterally presented homologous visual and auditory stimuli in normal adults, normal children, and children with central auditory dysfunction.

Two experiments were conducted to examine the performance of normal adults, normal children, and children diagnosed with central auditory dysfunction presumed to involve the interhemispheric pathways on a dichotic digits test in common clinical use for the diagnosis of central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) and its corresponding visual analog. Results of the first experiment revealed a significant right ear advantage (REA) for the dichotic listening task and a left-visual-field advantage (LVFA) for the corresponding visual analog in normal adults and children. In the second experiment, results revealed a significantly larger REA in the children with CAPD as compared to the normal children.

Plant community influences on soil microfungal assemblages in boreal mixed-wood forests.

We studied the relationships between assemblages of soil microfungi and plant communities in the southern boreal mixed-wood forests of Quebec. Sampling took place in 18,100 m2 plots from an existing research site. Plots were separated into three categories based on dominant overstory tree species: (i) trembling aspen, (ii) white birch and (iii) a mixture of white spruce and balsam fir.

Nonmodularity of the central auditory nervous system: implications for (central) auditory processing disorder.

This response to A. T. Cacace and D.

Gastric electrical activity in normal neonates during the first year of life: effect of feeding with breast milk and formula.

Background: To evaluate the effect of feeding with milk on the gastrointestinal tract, we studied gastric electrical activity in 27 healthy fullterm newborns (15 formula-fed newborns and 12 breast-fed newborns) during the first 6 months of life.

Methods: Three-hour electrogastrography (EGG) recordings were performed, using portable equipment, from the third to fifth day after birth until 6 months, at 3-month intervals. The EGG parameters were calculated as raw and integrated data, the latter as AUC of the whole postprandial period.

Effects of aging and gender on interhemispheric function.

The ability of the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate with one another via the corpus callosum is important for a wide variety of sensory, motor, and cognitive functions, many of them communication related. Anatomical evidence suggests that aging results in structural changes in the corpus callosum and that the course over time of age-related changes in corpus callosum structure may depend on the gender of the individual. Further, it has been hypothesized that age- and gender-related changes in corpus callosum structure may result in concomitant decreased performance on tasks that are reliant on interhemispheric integrity.

Aging affects hemispheric asymmetry in the neural representation of speech sounds.

Hemispheric asymmetries in the processing of elemental speech sounds appear to be critical for normal speech perception. This study investigated the effects of age on hemispheric asymmetry observed in the neurophysiological responses to speech stimuli in three groups of normal hearing, right-handed subjects: children (ages, 8-11 years), young adults (ages, 20-25 years), and older adults (ages > 55 years). Peak-to-peak response amplitudes of the auditory cortical P1-N1 complex obtained over right and left temporal lobes were examined to determine the degree of left/right asymmetry in the neurophysiological responses elicited by synthetic speech syllables in each of the three subject groups.

The incidence of cleft lip and palate deformities in the south-east of Scotland (1971-1990).

This retrospective study reports the incidence of infants born with the cleft lip and palate anomaly within the Edinburgh Cleft Units catchment area, between 1 January, 1971, and 31 December, 1990. The importance of accurate data collection for local, regional, and national data bases is discussed with reference to the recent CSAG report on cleft lip and palate services in the UK. Five-hundred-and-two cleft lip and palate patients were identified (291 males, 211 females).