Further characterization of adrenocortical and thyroid hormone concentrations of leatherback turtles () under various stressors, including validation of a plasma aldosterone assay.

Leatherback turtles () are endangered by anthropogenic threats. Characterizing the physiologic response of leatherback turtles under various stressors may inform conservation strategies. In this study, a commercially available enzyme immunoassay for aldosterone was validated for leatherback turtle plasma, and it was used with previously validated assays for corticosterone and free thyroxine (fT4) to evaluate the physiologic status of leatherback turtles that were entangled in fishing gear, stranded on shore, nesting or intentionally captured at sea during ecologic studies.

Sirenian (manatees and dugongs) reproductive endocrinology.

Reproductive hormones are essential to mating systems, behavior, fertility, gestation, parturition, and lactation in mammals and understanding the role of hormones in these processes is essential for species conservation. Sirenia is a unique order of marine mammals that include manatees, dugongs, and the extinct Steller's sea cow. Extant Sirenian species are all listed as vulnerable due to habitat loss, cold stress, boat strike trauma, harmful algal bloom toxicity, entanglements, and illegal hunting.

Outbreak of multidrug-resistant infections in people linked to pig ear pet treats, United States, 2015-2019: results of a multistate investigation.

Background: International distribution of contaminated foods can be a source of infections in people and can contribute to the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria across countries. We report an investigation led by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state governmental officials into a multistate outbreak of salmonellosis linked to pig ear pet treats.

Methods: Pig ear treats and companion dogs were tested for by state officials and the FDA.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Shiga Toxin-Producing for Characterization and Outbreak Investigation.

Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) causes high frequencies of foodborne infections worldwide and has been linked to numerous outbreaks each year. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has been the gold standard for surveillance until the recent transition to whole-genome sequencing (WGS). To further understand the genetic diversity and relatedness of outbreak isolates, a retrospective analysis of 510 clinical STEC isolates was conducted.

Population structure and genetic diversity of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) clinical isolates from Michigan.

Non-O157 STEC are increasingly linked to foodborne infections, yet little is known about the diversity and molecular epidemiology across locations. Herein, we used whole genome sequencing to examine genetic variation in 894 isolates collected from Michigan patients between 2001 and 2018. In all, 67 serotypes representing 69 multilocus sequence types were identified.

Stress and reproductive events detected in North Atlantic right whale blubber using a simplified hormone extraction protocol.

As studies quantifying steroid hormones in marine mammal blubber progress, methodological refinements may improve the utility and consistency of blubber hormone measurements. This study advances blubber extraction methodologies by testing a simplified extraction protocol that reduces time and complexity compared to a protocol widely used in cetacean blubber studies. Using blubber samples archived from remote biopsy ( = 21 live whales) and necropsy collection ( = 7 dead whales) of North Atlantic right whales (NARW; ) of known life history states, we performed analytical and biological validations to assess the feasibility of measuring reproductive (testosterone, progesterone) and glucocorticoid (cortisol) hormones in blubber via enzyme immunoassay following the simplified extraction.

Preoperative Intravenous Versus Oral Acetaminophen in Outpatient Surgery: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Control Trial.

Purpose: Preoperative acetaminophen is recognized as an effective part of the multimodal approach to perioperative pain management. The present study, conducted between April 12, 2018 and February 14, 2019, examined whether there are differences in patient-reported pain, postoperative opioid consumption, negative opioid effects, length of postanesthesia care unit stay, and patient satisfaction with pain control between patients who receive intravenous (IV) acetaminophen and patients who receive oral acetaminophen.

Design: This double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted among 120 patients undergoing outpatient surgery.

Expanding Tiny Earth to genomics: a bioinformatics approach for an undergraduate class to characterize antagonistic strains.

The evolution of multidrug resistant pathogens and the diminishing supply of effective antibiotics are global crisis. Tiny Earth (TE) is undergraduate curriculum that encourage students to pursue science careers by engagement in authentic drug discovery research. Through the TE program, students identify environmental strains that inhibit other bacteria.

Loci Encoding Compounds Potentially Active against Drug-Resistant Pathogens amidst a Decreasing Pool of Novel Antibiotics.

Since the discovery of penicillin, microbes have been a source of antibiotics that inhibit the growth of pathogens. However, with the evolution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, it remains unclear if there is an abundant or limited supply of natural products to be discovered that are effective against MDR isolates. To identify strains that are antagonistic to pathogens, we examined a set of 471 globally derived environmental strains (env-Ps) for activity against a panel of 65 pathogens including spp.

Reproductive Science Methods for Wild, Fully-Marine Mammals: Current Approaches and Future Applications.

Determining reproductive rates of marine mammal populations can give insight into their persistence and resilience in changing environments. As our marine environments continue to degrade along developed coastal fringes and as mankind's influences extend across even our widest oceans, there is a concern that the reproductive functioning of marine mammals may be affected adversely. Since many marine mammal species and populations are still in the recovery phase post-commercial harvest, and yet others are endangered or threatened by ongoing pressures, further environmental changes may represent direct or indirect threats to their reproductive potential.

Ameliorating transport-related stress in endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles () with a recovery period in saltwater pools.

Sea turtle rehabilitation clinics and aquaria frequently transport stranded sea turtles long distances out of water, e.g. for release at sites with appropriate water temperatures.

Quantifying hormones in exhaled breath for physiological assessment of large whales at sea.

Exhaled breath analysis is a non-invasive assessment tool that has shown promise in human diagnostics, and could greatly benefit research, management, and conservation of large whales. However, hormone assessment of whale respiratory vapor (blow) has been challenged by variable water content and unknown total volume of collected samples. To advance this technique, we investigated urea (a compound present in narrow range in circulation) as a normalizing factor to correct for blow sample concentration.

The effectiveness of ultrasound guided hydrodistension and physiotherapy in the treatment of frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulitis in primary care: a single centre service evaluation.

Background: Evidence for optimal non-operative treatment of frozen shoulder is lacking. The present study aimed to evaluate a treatment strategy for stage II to III frozen shoulder provided by the current primary care musculoskeletal service.

Methods: General practioner referrals of shoulder pain to the musculoskeletal service diagnosed with stage II to III frozen shoulder and who opted for a treatment strategy of hydrodistension and guided physiotherapy exercise programme over a 12-month period were evaluated for 6 months.

Adrenal responses of large whales: Integrating fecal aldosterone as a complementary biomarker to glucocorticoids.

Until now, physiological stress assessment of large whales has predominantly focused on adrenal glucocorticoid (GC) measures. Elevated GC concentrations in feces (fGC) are known to reflect stressful disturbances, such as fishing gear entanglement and human-generated underwater noise, in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). However, there can be considerable variation in GC production as a function of sex and life history stage, which may confound the interpretation of fGC levels.

Get the most out of blow hormones: validation of sampling materials, field storage and extraction techniques for whale respiratory vapour samples.

Studies are progressively showing that vital physiological data may be contained in the respiratory vapour (blow) of cetaceans. Nonetheless, fundamental methodological issues need to be addressed before hormone analysis of blow can become a reliable technique. In this study, we performed controlled experiments in a laboratory setting, using known doses of pure parent hormones, to validate several technical factors that may play a crucial role in hormone analyses.

Assessment of ground transportation stress in juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii).

Sea turtle rehabilitation centres frequently transport sea turtles for long distances to move animals between centres or to release them at beaches, yet there is little information on the possible effects of transportation-related stress ('transport stress') on sea turtles. To assess whether transport stress is a clinically relevant concern for endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii), we obtained pre-transport and post-transport plasma samples from 26 juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles that were transported for 13 h (n = 15 turtles) or 26 h (n = 11 turtles) by truck for release at beaches. To control for effects of handling, food restriction and time of day, the same turtles were also studied on 'control days' 2 weeks prior to transport, i.

Congenital Plantar Angiofibroma-Like Hamartoma.

A 2-year-old girl presented with a congenital, slow-growing, exophytic nodule on the plantar surface of the foot. Histopathology revealed a hamartoma consisting of dermal angiofibroma features with overlying epidermal verruciform hyperplasia.

Growth hormone deficiency after mild combat-related traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recognized as a cause of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in civilians. However, comparable data are sparse in veterans who incurred TBI during combat. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of GHD in veterans with a history of combat-related TBI, and its association with cognitive and psychosocial dysfunction.

Methods to examine reproductive biology in free-ranging, fully-marine mammals.

Historical overexploitation of marine mammals, combined with present-day pressures, has resulted in severely depleted populations, with many species listed as threatened or endangered. Understanding breeding patterns of threatened marine mammals is crucial to assessing population viability, potential recovery and conservation actions. However, determining reproductive parameters of wild fully-marine mammals (cetaceans and sirenians) is challenging due to their wide distributions, high mobility, inaccessible habitats, cryptic lifestyles and in many cases, large body size and intractability.

Non-union of a clavicle fracture: lateral fragment excision for brachial artery embolism.

A 67-year-old motorcyslist was admitted to hospital following a high-speed road traffic collision and found to have a left midshaft clavicle fracture and multiple ipsilateral rib fractures. He was treated conservatively and went on to have non-union of the clavicle. The non-union was managed non-operatively.

Variation in the hindgut microbial communities of the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris over winter in Crystal River, Florida.

The Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, is a hindgut-fermenting herbivore. In winter, manatees migrate to warm water overwintering sites where they undergo dietary shifts and may suffer from cold-induced stress. Given these seasonally induced changes in diet, the present study aimed to examine variation in the hindgut bacterial communities of wild manatees overwintering at Crystal River, west Florida.

Reproductive hormone monitoring of dugongs in captivity: detecting the onset of sexual maturity in a cryptic marine mammal.

Determining the reproductive status of long-term captive animals is essential because the onset of sexual maturity and reproductive activity may necessitate changes in husbandry requirements. This study reports on the first multi-year reproductive hormone monitoring program for captive dugongs of both sexes using feces. Fecal samples were collected from one male (Pig) over 9 years (4-13.

Sex, scarring, and stress: understanding seasonal costs in a cryptic marine mammal.

We investigated variation in adrenal activity in the dugong, a vulnerable cryptic marine mammal species, in a population inhabiting the lower thermal limit of their range. We sampled 319 live wild dugongs and examined faecal glucocorticoid (fGC) concentrations in relationship to sex, reproductive state (immature, sexually mature, or pregnant), and season, as well as associations with body condition, male-induced aggressive conspecific interactions, and environmental temperature. Physiological validations with apparently healthy and unhealthy animals indicated that fGC levels reliably reflect adrenal activation in dugongs.

Testosterone and tusks: maturation and seasonal reproductive patterns of live, free-ranging male dugongs (Dugong dugon) in a subtropical population.

Knowledge of male reproductive status and activity in free-ranging animals is vital to understanding reproductive patterns and population dynamics. Until now, almost all information regarding reproductive behavior of the dugong, a cryptic marine mammal, has relied on post-mortem examination. We examined the relationships between body length, tusk eruption (secondary sexual characteristic), seasonality, and group association on fecal testosterone metabolite concentrations in 322 free-ranging dugongs (159 males, 163 females) in subtropical Moreton Bay, Australia.