Long-term, high-resolution in vivo calcium imaging in pigeons.

In vivo 2-photon calcium imaging has led to fundamental advances in our understanding of sensory circuits in mammalian species. In contrast, few studies have exploited this methodology in birds, with investigators primarily relying on histological and electrophysiological techniques. Here, we report the development of in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging in awake pigeons.

The expression, localisation and interactome of pigeon CRY2.

Cryptochromes (CRY) are highly conserved signalling molecules that regulate circadian rhythms and are candidate radical pair based magnetoreceptors. Birds have at least four cryptochromes (CRY1a, CRY1b, CRY2, and CRY4), but few studies have interrogated their function. Here we investigate the expression, localisation and interactome of clCRY2 in the pigeon retina.

Reviewing the needs of forward deployed critical care: South Sudan and the future.

The UK military medical treatment facility (MTF) that deployed to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan in 2017 was based on a facility that can provide damage control surgery and resuscitation for soldiers with ballistic trauma injuries. It had to be supplemented with additional medical equipment and drugs that could support a peacekeeping mission in Africa. The clinicians used this experience and opportunity to review the critical care capability of UK Army Medical Services forward MTFs and recommend changes to reflect the increasing contemporaneous need on recent deployments to support more casualties with medical, infectious diseases and other non-battle injuries and illnesses.

Evolution of the deployed medical director role in an era of contingency operations: reflections from a United Nations operation.

This paper examines the development and evolution of the deployed medical director (DMD) role and argues for the re-establishment of a formal selection process and training pathway. Recent deployments into new areas of operations, deployment of smaller medical treatment facilities (MTFs), the reduced numbers of deployments for clinicians, working with various multinational partners and both military and civilian organisations all pose specific problems for DMDs. The initial and then continued deployment of a secondary care role 2 MTF as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan illustrated some of these challenges.

Novel equipment used in the UK Role 2 medical treatment facility as part of Operation TRENTON in South Sudan.

The deployment of a UK military Role 2 Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) to South Sudan during Operation TRENTON into an isolated location and austere environment with a prolonged hold produced potential medical planning challenges. The MTF was augmented with both specific personnel and equipment in order to meet these challenges. This paper discusses equipment available in this facility not previously used at Role 2 before and how it could be used to supplement medical operational deployments in future.

Neuronal circuits and the magnetic sense: central questions.

Magnetoreception is the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field, which is used for orientation and navigation. Behavioural experiments have shown that it is employed by many species across all vertebrate classes; however, our understanding of how magnetic information is processed and integrated within the central nervous system is limited. In this Commentary, we review the progress in birds and rodents, highlighting the role of the vestibular and trigeminal systems as well as that of the hippocampus.

The biophysical, molecular, and anatomical landscape of pigeon CRY4: A candidate light-based quantal magnetosensor.

The biophysical and molecular mechanisms that enable animals to detect magnetic fields are unknown. It has been proposed that birds have a light-dependent magnetic compass that relies on the formation of radical pairs within cryptochrome molecules. Using spectroscopic methods, we show that pigeon cryptochrome clCRY4 is photoreduced efficiently and forms long-lived spin-correlated radical pairs via a tetrad of tryptophan residues.

A high sensitivity ZENK monoclonal antibody to map neuronal activity in Aves.

The transcription factor ZENK is an immediate early gene that has been employed as a surrogate marker to map neuronal activity in the brain. It has been used in a wide variety of species, however, commercially available antibodies have limited immunoreactivity in birds. To address this issue we generated a new mouse monoclonal antibody, 7B7-A3, raised against ZENK from the rock pigeon (Columba livia).

A Putative Mechanism for Magnetoreception by Electromagnetic Induction in the Pigeon Inner Ear.

A diverse array of vertebrate species employs the Earth's magnetic field to assist navigation. Despite compelling behavioral evidence that a magnetic sense exists, the location of the primary sensory cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown [1]. To date, most research has focused on a light-dependent radical-pair-based concept and a system that is proposed to rely on biogenic magnetite (FeO) [2, 3].

UK medical support to non-combatant evacuation operations.

This review presents the UK Defence Medical Services' involvement in non-combatant evacuation operations (NEOs) in the last two decades. It examines the key medical lessons identified from those operations from publications and witness statements, and discusses key aspects that medical commanders and clinicians should consider in the future, particularly preparation, training and equipping personnel and units for future NEOs. The majority of those UK medical assets that are likely to deploy on NEOs have little or no NEO training and are ill equipped to deal with the common non-battlefield casualties seen in NEOs.

Trauma Hemostasis and Oxygenation Research Network position paper on the role of hypotensive resuscitation as part of remote damage control resuscitation.

The Trauma Hemostasis and Oxygenation Research (THOR) Network has developed a consensus statement on the role of permissive hypotension in remote damage control resuscitation (RDCR). A summary of the evidence on permissive hypotension follows the THOR Network position on the topic. In RDCR, the burden of time in the care of the patients suffering from noncompressible hemorrhage affects outcomes.

Comment on "Magnetosensitive neurons mediate geomagnetic orientation in .

A diverse array of species on the planet employ the Earth's magnetic field as a navigational aid. As the majority of these animals are migratory, their utility to interrogate the molecular and cellular basis of the magnetic sense is limited. Vidal-Gadea and colleagues recently argued that the worm possesses a magnetic sense that guides their vertical movement in soil.

Subcellular analysis of pigeon hair cells implicates vesicular trafficking in cuticulosome formation and maintenance.

Hair cells are specialized sensors located in the inner ear that enable the transduction of sound, motion, and gravity into neuronal impulses. In birds some hair cells contain an iron-rich organelle, the cuticulosome, that has been implicated in the magnetic sense. Here, we exploit histological, transcriptomic, and tomographic methods to investigate the development of cuticulosomes, as well as the molecular and subcellular architecture of cuticulosome positive hair cells.

Magnetoreception-A sense without a receptor.

Evolution has equipped life on our planet with an array of extraordinary senses, but perhaps the least understood is magnetoreception. Despite compelling behavioral evidence that this sense exists, the cells, molecules, and mechanisms that mediate sensory transduction remain unknown. So how could animals detect magnetic fields? We introduce and discuss 3 concepts that attempt to address this question: (1) a mechanically sensitive magnetite-based magnetoreceptor, (2) a light-sensitive chemical-based mechanism, and (3) electromagnetic induction within accessory structures.

Choir versus Solo Singing: Effects on Mood, and Salivary Oxytocin and Cortisol Concentrations.

The quantification of salivary oxytocin (OXT) concentrations emerges as a helpful tool to assess peripheral OXT secretion at baseline and after various challenges in healthy and clinical populations. Both positive social interactions and stress are known to induce OXT secretion, but the relative influence of either of these triggers is not well delineated. Choir singing is an activity known to improve mood and to induce feelings of social closeness, and may therefore be used to investigate the effects of positive social experiences on OXT system activity.

Medical support to military airborne training and operations.

Introduction: Airborne operations enable large numbers of military forces to deploy on the ground in the shortest possible time. This however must be balanced by an increased risk of injury. The aim of this paper is to review the current UK military drop zone medical estimate process, which may help to predict the risk of potential injury and assist in planning appropriate levels of medical support.

TRPV1 function is modulated by Cdk5-mediated phosphorylation: insights into the molecular mechanism of nociception.

TRPV1 is a polymodally activated cation channel acting as key receptor in nociceptive neurons. Its function is strongly affected by kinase-mediated phosphorylation leading to hyperalgesia and allodynia. We present behavioral and molecular data indicating that TRPV1 is strongly modulated by Cdk5-mediated phosphorylation at position threonine-407(mouse)/T406(rat).

Resuscitation During Critical Care Transportation in Afghanistan.

Objective: These data describe the critical care procedures performed on, and the resuscitation markers of, critically wounded personnel in Afghanistan following point of injury (POI) transports and intratheater transports. Providing this information may help inform discussion on the design of critical care transportation platforms for future conflicts.

Methods: The Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) was queried for descriptive data on combat casualties with Injury Severity Score (ISS) greater than 15 who were transported in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010.

A systematic review of non-motor rTMS induced motor cortex plasticity.

Motor cortex excitability can be measured by single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can induce neuroplastic effects in stimulated and in functionally connected cortical regions. Due to its ability to non-invasively modulate cortical activity, rTMS has been investigated for the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Evaluation of Prehospital Blood Products to Attenuate Acute Coagulopathy of Trauma in a Model of Severe Injury and Shock in Anesthetized Pigs.

Acute trauma coagulopathy (ATC) is seen in 30% to 40% of severely injured casualties. Early use of blood products attenuates ATC, but the timing for optimal effect is unknown. Emergent clinical practice has started prehospital deployment of blood products (combined packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma [PRBCs:FFP], and alternatively PRBCs alone), but this is associated with significant logistical burden and some clinical risk.

Early cryoprecipitate for major haemorrhage in trauma: a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Background: Low fibrinogen (Fg) concentrations in trauma haemorrhage are associated with poorer outcomes. Cryoprecipitate is the standard source for Fg administration in the UK and USA and is often given in the later stages of transfusion therapy. It is not known whether early cryoprecipitate therapy improves clinical outcomes.