Prevalence of aortoiliac aneurysms in solid organ transplant recipients using the National Inpatient Sample database.

Objective: Single-center studies have suggested that solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk for arterial aneurysms. Moreover, they describe a more aggressive natural history with increased rates of expansion and rupture. In this exploratory analysis, we aimed to assess the frequency of arterial aneurysms in solid organ transplant recipients using a large-scale national database.

Red, gold and green: Comparative genomics of polymorphic leopards from South Africa.

An important goal of comparative and functional genomics is to connect genetic polymorphisms to phenotypic variation. Leopards (Panthera pardus) from northern South Africa are particularly diverse, as here a unique colour morph occurs, as well as two deeply diverged southern (SA) and central African (CA) mitochondrial clades, stemming from Pleistocene refugia. Here, we present the first whole genomes of a red leopard and a black (captive) leopard, and wildtypes belonging to the CA and SA mitochondrial clades, to evaluate genome-wide diversity, divergence, and high impact mutations that may relate to their phenotype.

Hidden diversity of cestodes in wild African carnivores: I. Non-taeniid cyclophyllideans.

Our knowledge of parasites in wildlife remains limited, primarily due to restricted access to samples, especially of parasites from protected species. This present study contributes to the comprehension of the enigmatic world of helminths of African wild mammals and cestode biodiversity by combining both molecular and morphological analysis. Cestode samples were opportunistically collected from 77 individual definitive hosts in South Africa, Namibia and Ethiopia, encompassing 15 different species of wild African carnivores and additionally domestic cats.