Carnivore coexistence without competition: giant otters are more nocturnal around dens than sympatric neotropical otters.

Nocturnal activity of tropical otters is rarely reported. To date no studies have documented den use by sympatric giant () and neotropical otters (). We used camera-traps to monitor den use by sympatric otters along an equatorial Amazonian river.

Human disturbances and the daytime activity of sympatric otters along equatorial Amazonian rivers.

Background: Previous studies suggest coexistence between sympatric neotropical () and giant otters () maybe facilitated by temporal and spatial differences in activity. Yet, to date there has been no systematic evaluation of activity of these species in sympatry. Here we use extensive multi-year field data to compare temporal and spatial patterns in the diurnal activity of sympatric giant and neotropical otters to answer three questions: Do temporal patterns in daytime river use change in relation to seasonal river levels (low, rising, high and declining river levels), do they change due to human disturbances (boats and fishing nets) and do patterns in neotropical otter activity change due to the presence of the larger sized giant otter?

Methods: Direct observations of both species were recorded using standardized boat surveys along 218 km of rivers over 53 months during nine years (2011-2013 and 2015-2020).

Anthropogenic influences on the distribution of a threatened apex-predator around sustainable-use reserves following hydropower dam installation.

Although previous studies demonstrate declines in many large bodied species following hydropower dam installation, others suggest that some species, including the giant otter () may return to newly created reservoir habitats. Yet, there is a lack of evidence to support such theories. Here, we analyzed the effects of a hydropower dam on giant otters using a before-after control-impact study design in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.

Crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America: current knowledge and potential future management directions.

Background: Crop farming contributes to one of the most extensive land use activities in the world, and cropland areas continue to rise. Many vertebrate species feed on crops, which has caused an increase in human-wildlife conflicts in croplands. Crop-feeding damages the economy of local communities and causes retaliation against the responsible vertebrates in several forms, including lethal practices such as hunting and poisoning.

Community based actions save Yellow-spotted river turtle () eggs and hatchlings flooded by rapid river level rises.

The conservation and recovery of increasingly threatened tropical freshwater turtle populations depends on effective management plans and actions. Here we show that community-based actions saved Yellow-spotted river turtle () eggs submerged by unseasonal flooding and ensured the release of hatchlings. We recovered 926 eggs and 65 premature hatchlings from 74 submerged nests at 16 flooded nesting areas along 75 km of waterways.

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics.

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae.

Substrate influences human removal of freshwater turtle nests in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.

Substrate type determines nesting success and fitness in turtles and is a critical consideration for nesting area protection and restoration. Here, we evaluated the effect of substrate on nest removal by humans in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. We analyzed substrate composition and fate of 216 P.

Community involvement works where enforcement fails: conservation success through community-based management of Amazon river turtle nests.

Law enforcement is widely regarded as a cornerstone to effective natural resource management. Practical guidelines for the optimal use of enforcement measures are lacking particularly in areas protected under sustainable and/or mixed use management regimes and where legal institution are weak. Focusing on the yellow-spotted river turtles () along 33 km of river that runs between two sustainable-use reserves in the Brazilian Amazon as an illustrative example, we show that two years of patrols to enforce lawful protection regulations had no effect on nest harvesting.

Beyond harm's reach? Submersion of river turtle nesting areas and implications for restoration actions after Amazon hydropower development.

The global expansion of energy demands combined with abundant rainfall, large water volumes and high flow in tropical rivers have led to an unprecedented expansion of dam constructions in the Amazon. This expansion generates an urgent need for refined approaches to river management; specifically a move away from decision-making governed by overly generalized guidelines. For the first time we quantify direct impacts of hydropower reservoir establishment on an Amazon fresh water turtle.

Illegal use of natural resources in federal protected areas of the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: The Brazilian Amazon is the world's largest rainforest regions and plays a key role in biodiversity conservation as well as climate adaptation and mitigation. The government has created a network of protected areas (PAs) to ensure long-term conservation of the region. However, despite the importance of and positive advances in the establishment of PAs, natural resource depletion in the Brazilian Amazon is pervasive.

Gamebird responses to anthropogenic forest fragmentation and degradation in a southern Amazonian landscape.

Although large-bodied tropical forest birds are impacted by both habitat loss and fragmentation, their patterns of habitat occupancy will also depend on the degree of forest habitat disturbance, which may interact synergistically or additively with fragmentation effects. Here, we examine the effects of forest patch and landscape metrics, and levels of forest disturbance on the patterns of persistence of six gamebird taxa in the southern Brazilian Amazon. We use both interview data conducted with long-term residents and/or landowners from 129 remnant forest patches and 15 continuous forest sites and line-transect census data from a subset of 21 forest patches and two continuous forests.

Water availability not fruitfall modulates the dry season distribution of frugivorous terrestrial vertebrates in a lowland Amazon forest.

Terrestrial vertebrate frugivores constitute one of the major guilds in tropical forests. Previous studies show that the meso-scale distribution of this group is only weakly explained by variables such as altitude and tree basal area in lowland Amazon forests. For the first time we test whether seasonally limiting resources (water and fallen fruit) affect the dry season distribution in 25 species of terrestrial vertebrates.

Management and outcomes of vaginal bleeding and heavy menstrual bleeding in women of reproductive age on direct oral anti-factor Xa inhibitor therapy: a case series.

Background: Observational data and results from post-hoc analyses in clinical trials suggest that direct oral factor Xa inhibitors might increase menstrual bleeding intensity in women of reproductive age, but the extent of this effect is unknown. We aimed to investigate the management and outcomes of vaginal bleeding complications during therapy with direct oral factor Xa inhibitors in a case series of women of reproductive age.

Methods: To identify individuals for inclusion in this case series, we searched two sources of prospectively collected data from women of reproductive age treated with direct oral factor Xa inhibitors: the non-interventional Dresden NOAC Registry (NCT01588119), which is based in the administrative district of Dresden (Saxony, Germany), and all locally archived data from phase 3 trials of direct oral factor Xa inhibitors done at University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.

Pregnancy outcome in patients exposed to direct oral anticoagulants - and the challenge of event reporting.

Today, direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are widely used alternatives to Vitamin-K antagonists (VKA). Women of reproductive age may become pregnant during anticoagulation and, while VKA carry an embryotoxic potential, the risk of DOAC embryopathy is unknown. As a result, some patients elect to terminate pregnancy for fear of DOAC embryotoxicity.

Implications of Scientific Collaboration Networks on Studies of Aquatic Vertebrates in the Brazilian Amazon.

The quantity of wildlife extracted from the Amazon has increased in the past decades as a consequence of an increase in human population density and income growth. To evaluate the spatial distribution of studies on subsistence and/or commercial hunting conducted in the Brazilian Amazon, we selected eight mid-sized and large-bodied aquatic vertebrate species with a history of human exploitation in the region. We used a combination of searches in the gray and scientific literature from the past 24 years to provide an updated distributional map of studies on the target species.

Effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban therapy in daily-care patients with atrial fibrillation. Results from the Dresden NOAC Registry.

The effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (SPAF) demonstrated in ROCKET AF needs to be confirmed in daily care. To evaluate effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban therapy in SPAF patients in daily care, we used data from an ongoing, prospective, non-interventional registry of more than 2700 patients on novel oral anticoagulants in daily care. Between October 1, 2011 and February 28, 2013, a total of 1204 SPAF patients receiving rivaroxaban were enrolled.

Selection, management, and outcome of vitamin K antagonist-treated patients with atrial fibrillation not switched to novel oral anticoagulants. Results from the Dresden NOAC registry.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients treated with well-controlled vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) may benefit less from non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) because they are supposed to be at low risk of thromboembolic and bleeding complications. However, little is known about the selection, management, and outcome of such "stable" VKA patients in current practice. We assessed characteristics, VKA persistence and 12 months' outcome of AF patients selected for VKA continuation.

Ecological relationships of meso-scale distribution in 25 neotropical vertebrate species.

Vertebrates are a vital ecological component of Amazon forest biodiversity. Although vertebrates are a functionally important part of various ecosystem services they continue to be threatened by anthropogenic impacts throughout the Amazon. Here we use a standardized, regularly spaced arrangement of camera traps within 25km2 to provide a baseline assessment of vertebrate species diversity in a sustainable use protected area in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.

Effectiveness and safety of dabigatran therapy in daily-care patients with atrial fibrillation. Results from the Dresden NOAC Registry.

The effectiveness and safety of dabigatran for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (SPAF) demonstrated in RE-LY needs to be confirmed in daily care. To evaluate treatment persistence, effectiveness and safety of dabigatran therapy in SPAF patients in daily care, we used data from an ongoing, prospective, non-interventional registry of more than 2,500 patients on novel oral anticoagulants in daily care. Between October 1, 2011 and February 28, 2013, a total of 341 SPAF patients receiving dabigatran were enrolled.

Drug persistence with rivaroxaban therapy in atrial fibrillation patients-results from the Dresden non-interventional oral anticoagulation registry.

Aims: Worldwide, rivaroxaban is increasingly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (SPAF) but little is known about the rates of or reasons for rivaroxaban discontinuations in daily care. Using data from a prospective, non-interventional oral anticoagulation (NOAC) registry, we analysed rivaroxaban treatment persistence.

Methods And Results: Persistence with rivaroxaban in SPAF was assessed in an ongoing, prospective, non-interventional registry of >2600 NOAC patients from daily care using the Kaplan-Meier time-to-first-event analysis.

Rates, management, and outcome of rivaroxaban bleeding in daily care: results from the Dresden NOAC registry.

Worldwide, rivaroxaban is increasingly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and treatment of venous thromboembolism, but little is known about rivaroxaban-related bleeding complications in daily care. Using data from a prospective, noninterventional oral anticoagulation registry of daily care patients (Dresden NOAC registry), we analyzed rates, management, and outcome of rivaroxaban-related bleeding. Between October 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013, 1776 rivaroxaban patients were enrolled.

Successful carnivore identification with faecal DNA across a fragmented Amazonian landscape.

The use of scat surveys to obtain DNA has been well documented in temperate areas, where DNA preservation may be more effective than in tropical forests. Samples obtained in the tropics are often exposed to high humidity, warm temperatures, frequent rain and intense sunlight, all of which can rapidly degrade DNA. Despite these potential problems, we demonstrate successful mtDNA amplification and sequencing for faeces of carnivores collected in tropical conditions and quantify how sample condition and environmental variables influence the success of PCR amplification and species identification.