The impact of bloodstream infection in patients undergoing appendectomy due to acute appendicitis.

Introduction: Current severity classification of appendicitis does not take into account the impact of bloodstream infection (BSI), despite the importance of BSI in critical care settings. Therefore, we examined whether BSI in emergency appendectomy indicated for acute appendicitis has a clinical impact.

Methods:  We retrospectively reviewed patients with acute appendicitis who underwent emergency surgery at our department between July 2015 and January 2020.

Extreme droughts in the Amazon Basin during cyclic ENSO events coupled with Indian Ocean Dipole modes and Tropical North Atlantic warming.

The teleconnections between El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Tropical North Atlantic warming (+TNA) play a critical role in characterizing extreme drought events in the Amazon Basin (AB). This study examines the seven most recent drought extreme events up to 2023, using seasonal composites of the sea surface temperature and atmospheric variables over a five-quarter period starting at the austral spring(-1) of the year preceding that when the lowest water level at Manaus port was recorded. Two distinct patterns emerge, driven by consecutive ENSO events with opposite phases, referred to as cyclic La Niña-El Niño and cyclic El Niño-La Niña drought events.

Predictive marker for response to trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Objective: Trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) is one of the options for late-line treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the specific patient populations that would particularly benefit from it remain unclear. This study attempted to identify predictive markers of chemotherapy efficacy with trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI), focusing on the RNA-editing enzyme adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1) expression and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR).

Modern anthropogenic drought in Central Brazil unprecedented during last 700 years.

A better understanding of the relative roles of internal climate variability and external contributions, from both natural (solar, volcanic) and anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing, is important to better project future hydrologic changes. Changes in the evaporative demand play a central role in this context, particularly in tropical areas characterized by high precipitation seasonality, such as the tropical savannah and semi-desertic biomes. Here we present a set of geochemical proxies in speleothems from a well-ventilated cave located in central-eastern Brazil which shows that the evaporative demand is no longer being met by precipitation, leading to a hydrological deficit.

Evaluation of Lipopolysaccharide and Interleukin-6 as Useful Screening Tool for Chronic Endometritis.

Universal diagnostic criteria for chronic endometritis (CE) have not been established due to differences in study design among researchers and a lack of typical clinical cases. Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) have been reported to cause inflammation in the reproductive systems of several animals. This study aimed to elucidate the influence of LPS in the pathogenesis of CE in humans.

Quantitative analysis of the skull in the Japanese wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax) using CT.

In this study using computed tomography (CT), the volumes of the internal cranial cavities, such as the braincase, frontal sinus and tympanic cavity, and the ratio of the volume of each cavity to the skull volume in Japanese wolves were quantified, and CT images of the frontal sinus were observed. The results were then compared with those of other wolf subspecies, including Akita, a dog breed, to clarify the characteristics of the internal cranial cavities in Japanese wolves. The present study revealed that the Japanese wolf had a relatively larger braincase volume and a relatively smaller frontal sinus volume than the wolf ssp.

Ultrashort Echo Time Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cruciate Ligaments in Normal Beagles.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to provide normative ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging (UTE MRI) data of the patellar ligament (PL), cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) and caudal cruciate ligament (CdCL) in non-lame Beagles.

Study Design:  Eight stifles from four subjects obtained immediately postmortem were imaged using UTE MRI in the true sagittal plane. Regions of interest were drawn manually and the total (T2*), short T2* (T2*S) and long T2* (T2*L) values of the signal decay were calculated to evaluate the bound and free water components of the tendon.

Effect of emergency general surgery on postoperative performance status in patients aged over 90 years.

Background: Functional deterioration following emergency general surgery (EGS) poses a significant challenge in super-elderly patients. However, limited research has focused on assessing the deterioration in postoperative performance status (PS). This study aimed to investigate the impact of EGS on PS deterioration in super-elderly patients, and the extent to which deteriorated PS is recovered.

Pathogen and severity-dependent immune responses in bovine mastitis: highlight the dynamics of differential somatic cell count.

Immune responses in bovine clinical mastitis (CM) probably differ depending on the causative pathogen and disease severity. The observational study aimed to investigate whether both factors are associated with the dynamics of immune indicators, including somatic cell score (SCS), white blood cell count (WBC), serum albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, and differential somatic cell count (DSCC). We collected blood and milk samples 0, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days after CM occurred in 38 cows, and grouped the cases (n=49) by disease severity and pathogen.

Seasonal Variation and Factors Affecting Infection in Wild Sika Deer (Ezo Sika Deer ) in Eastern Hokkaido.

() spp. are isolated from domestic and wild ruminants, including deer, worldwide. The prevalence of trypanosomes in mammals is influenced by a number of factors such as host age and vector abundance.

Evaluating the outcomes of primary anastomosis with hand-sewn full-circular reinforcement in managing perforated left-sided colonic diverticulitis.

Background: It is a challenge to avoid stoma formation in emergency surgery of perforated left-sided diverticulum. The hand-sewn full-circular reinforcement of the colorectal anastomosis is used during complete pelvic peritonectomy to avoid a diverting ileostomy. This study examined the effect of applying the reinforcement method to perforated left-sided colonic diverticulitis with respect to the permanent stoma rate and cost-effectiveness.

Photorefraction with Spot Vision Screener versus Visual Acuity Testing as Community-Based Preschool Vision Screening at the Age of 3.5 Years in Japan.

Nationwide in Japan, a community-based vision-screening program in 3.5-year-old children is conducted in three steps: questionnaires and home visual acuity testing as the primary screening; visual acuity testing by nurses and pediatricians' inspection in community health centers as the secondary screening; and examinations by ophthalmologists as the tertiary screening. In this study, we introduced photorefraction with a Spot vision screener in addition to visual acuity testing to answer the clinical question of whether photorefraction could better detect eye diseases and potentially replace visual acuity testing.

Risk factors for equine trypanosomosis and hematological analysis of horses in Paraguay.

Animal trypanosomosis, caused by Trypanozoon trypanosomes (Trypanosoma evansi and T. equiperdum), and Trypanosoma vivax, is endemic to South American countries and has a negative impact on the livestock industry. However, the risk factors for trypanosomosis in Paraguay remain unknown.

Increase in the number of explosive low‒level cyclones around King George Island in the last three decades.

This paper documents an increase in the number of observed explosive cyclones (EC) at King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, over the 1989‒2020 period. In ECs at 60o latitudes the surface atmospheric pressure drops ≥24 hPA in 24 hours. The annual EC frequency time series shows a significant positive trend of ~2.

Is Salmonella enterica shared between wildlife and cattle in cattle farming areas? An 11-year retrospective study in Tokachi district, Hokkaido, Japan.

Background: Salmonella enterica in cattle has long been problematic and suspected to be transmitted by wildlife in Tokachi, Hokkaido, a major cattle farming area in Japan. Understanding the role of wildlife in S. enterica transmission would be helpful for developing control strategies of bovine salmonellosis.

Clinical impact of bloodstream infection on acute cholecystitis indicated for emergency cholecystectomy.

Background: The significance of blood culture for acute cholecystitis remains unclear.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent emergency cholecystectomy at Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki General Medical Center to examine the clinical impact of bloodstream infection (BSI), focusing on the association of BSI with bactibilia and severity grade based on the Tokyo guidelines 2018 (TG18).

Results: Among 177 patients included in the study, 32 had positive and 145 had negative BSI.

Genetic and seasonal variations of Trypanosoma theileri and the association of Trypanosoma theileri infection with dairy cattle productivity in Northern Japan.

Trypanosoma theileri is considered a non- or low-pathogenic trypanosome that generally causes latent infection in apparently healthy cattle; however, T. theileri propagates in the bloodstream and may cause clinical disease in pregnant animals or co-infection with bovine leukemia virus or Theileria orientalis. In the current study, a monthly survey of T.

Effect of Stem Positioning on Biomechanical Performance of a Novel Cementless Short-Stem Canine Total Hip Implant.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of stem positioning on the biomechanical performance of a novel, collared, short-stem total hip implant under compression and torsion .

Study Design:  Six canine cadaveric femurs were implanted with a collared short-stem femoral implant. Canal flare index (CFI), stem angle, absolute and relative cut heights and relative size were measured radiographically and used as independent variables.

Fertility risk factors in transferring Japanese Black embryos into dairy heifers: An epidemiological study.

The aims of this study were 1) to summarize the current status of Japanese Black (JB) embryo transfer into Holstein heifers, which is carried out on a commercial basis in Japan, and 2) to reveal fertility risk factors, including those from the environment (year and season of transfer), recipient (age, number of transfers, clinical status of the ovaries) and embryo (quality, stage, state, genetic background). We used data from 4467 JB fresh or frozen embryo transfers into Holstein heifers conducted by Zen-noh Embryo Transfer Center during 2016-2018, and the differences in fertility risk due to factors related to the environment, recipient, and embryo were statistically evaluated. Differences in fertility risk due to each variable were observed, leading to significant differences in fertility with respect to year of transfer, embryo quality, embryo state, and embryo breed.

Effects of the formation and regression of accessory corpus lutea during pregnancy on plasma progesterone concentration and pregnancy status in cross-bred beef heifers.

There was examination of effects of accessory corpus lutea (CLs) formation and regression during pregnancy on circulating progesterone (P) concentrations and pregnancy maintenance in beef heifers. Heifers (Experiment 1, n = 75; Experiment 2, n = 496) were randomly assigned to either a human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) treatment or untreated group 5 days post-estrus, followed by embryo transfer (ET) on Days 6-8 (Day 0 = Estrus). In Experiment 1, blood samples were collected from pregnant heifers on Days 33, 40, and 47 for conducting P assays.

Mobility of the forearm skeleton in the Asiatic black (Ursus thibetanus), brown (U. arctos) and polar (U. maritimus) bears.

In several primates and carnivores, pronation/supination angles of the forearm skeleton were examined, and it is thought that a larger angle is useful to acquire dexterous behaviors in feeding and/or life style, including climbing. In this study, the pronation/supination angles in Asiatic black, brown and polar bears were nondestructively examined. These specimens were classified as adult or non-adult.

Associations between plasma testosterone levels and season, nutritional status, age, and body size in free-ranging male Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in central Honshu, Japan.

Testosterone is an important regulator of male reproduction in terms of spermatogenesis and physiological changes in the accessory reproductive organs. Despite the important role of the testosterone level in male reproduction, testosterone levels vary among male bears even during the breeding season, and the causative underlying factors remain unknown. We postulated that testosterone levels are higher during the breeding season than during other seasons in free-ranging male bears, and that testosterone levels increase with advancing age, larger body size, and better nutritional status.