Amino acid supplementation confers protection to red blood cells before Plasmodium falciparum bystander stress.

Malaria is a highly oxidative parasitic disease in which anemia is the most common clinical symptom. A major contributor to the malarial anemia pathogenesis is the destruction of bystander, uninfected red blood cells (RBCs). Metabolic fluctuations are known to occur in the plasma of individuals with acute malaria, emphasizing the role of metabolic changes in disease progression and severity.

Recurrent Colic: Diagnosis, Management, and Expectations.

Most recurrent episodes of non-specific colic are self-limiting, and the results of clinical examinations are unremarkable. Differentiating these cases from serious diseases can be difficult, but repeated evaluations are warranted. Horses presenting with very frequent bouts of colic are more likely to have serious diseases and a higher mortality rate compared to horses presenting with less frequent bouts of transient colic.

'A rollercoaster of emotions': Reflections on growing up with epilepsy in Ireland.

Purpose: Childhood epilepsy can have lasting effects which extend beyond those attributed to seizures. Previous studies have explored the lived experience of childhood epilepsy, but to our knowledge, no study has afforded adults with a diagnosis of childhood epilepsy the opportunity to reflect on their experiences. In comparison with children, adult respondents have the benefit of ample time having lapsed in order to process their experiences and have greater linguistic competencies.

Caring for Canines: A Survey of Dog Ownership and Parasite Control Practices in Ireland.

Dogs are an important part of life for many people. Dog ownership can confer various health benefits to their owners, but it also presents some risks. In order to establish if dog owners were aware of these risks, an online survey of dog ownership practices was carried out.

The Relationship Between Trait Competitiveness and Competitive Attitudes: The Moderating Effect of Core Self-Evaluation.

This article explores the multifaceted nature of the individual motivations behind engaging in competition. In doing so, we investigate the theoretical and empirical links between general trait competitiveness and the three competitive attitudes: personal development, hypercompetition, and competition avoidant, as moderated by core self-evaluation. Findings indicate that it is not merely the level of general trait competitiveness that influences an individuals attitude towards competing, but heightened levels of core self-evaluation decrease the neurotic and unhealthy competitive attitudes of hypercompetitive and competition avoidant individuals.

A critical review of microplastic degradation and material flow analysis towards a circular economy.

The resilience and low cost of plastics has made their usage ubiquitous, but is also the cause of their prevalence and longevity as waste. Plastic pollution has become a great concern to the health and wellbeing of ecosystems around the world; microplastics are a particular threat, due to their high mobility, ease of ingestion by wildlife, and ability to adsorb and carry toxic contaminants. Material flow analysis has been widely applied to examine stocks and flows of materials in other industries, and has more recently been applied to plastics to examine areas where waste can reach the environment.

Academic attainment following pediatric epilepsy surgery: A systematic review.

Academic skills, such as reading, spelling and arithmetic, are central to meaningful engagement with society throughout adolescence and into adulthood. The disruption caused by on-going seizure activity places children with drug-resistant epilepsy at a particularly high risk of poor academic attainment. Though epilepsy surgery during childhood has long-been associated with various cognitive changes, less is known of the extent to which pediatric epilepsy surgery impacts academic attainment.

Palmar/plantar oblique projections improve radiographic detection of fractures of the palmar/plantar processes of the equine distal phalanx.

Radiography is a standard diagnostic test for horses with suspected fractures of the palmar/plantar processes (PP) of the distal phalanx, however published studies evaluating the diagnostic utility for radiography are currently lacking. The objectives of this retrospective, diagnostic case-control study were to determine the sensitivity of radiographs for the detection of PP fractures, and determine the diagnostic utility of the palmar/plantar oblique projections of the PP for the identification of PP fractures compared to standard radiographic series. The medical records of horses undergoing MRI examination were reviewed and 23 horses diagnosed with a PP fracture were included as cases for analysis.

The potential of aerial insectivores for monitoring microplastics in terrestrial environments.

Limited research has been conducted on microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems and biota, despite being some of the most ubiquitous environmental pollutants. We investigated the presence of microplastics (over 125 μm) in tree swallow (Tachicyneta bicolor) chicks (10 d. o.

Direct statistical inference for finite Markov jump processes via the matrix exponential.

Given noisy, partial observations of a time-homogeneous, finite-statespace Markov chain, conceptually simple, direct statistical inference is available, in theory, via its rate matrix, or infinitesimal generator, , since is the transition matrix over time . However, perhaps because of inadequate tools for matrix exponentiation in programming languages commonly used amongst statisticians or a belief that the necessary calculations are prohibitively expensive, statistical inference for continuous-time Markov chains with a large but finite state space is typically conducted via particle MCMC or other relatively complex inference schemes. When, as in many applications arises from a reaction network, it is usually sparse.

Overlapping sleep disturbances in persistent tic disorders and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of polysomnographic findings.

Introduction: Persistent tic disorders (PTDs) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common neurodevelopmental conditions which tend to co-occur. Both diagnoses are associated with sleep problems. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates overlaps and distinctions in objective sleep parameters based on diagnosis (PTD-only, PTD + ADHD, and ADHD-only).

Recruitment prediction for multicenter clinical trials based on a hierarchical Poisson-gamma model: Asymptotic analysis and improved intervals.

We analyze predictions of future recruitment to a multicenter clinical trial based on a maximum-likelihood fitting of a commonly used hierarchical Poisson-gamma model for recruitments at individual centers. We consider the asymptotic accuracy of quantile predictions in the limit as the number of recruitment centers grows large and find that, in an important sense, the accuracy of the quantiles does not improve as the number of centers increases. When predicting the number of further recruits in an additional time period, the accuracy degrades as the ratio of the additional time to the census time increases, whereas when predicting the amount of additional time to recruit a further patients, the accuracy degrades as the ratio of to the number recruited up to the census period increases.

Equine nutrition in the post-operative colic: Survey of Diplomates of the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine and Veterinary Surgeons, and European Colleges of Equine Internal Medicine and Veterinary Surgeons.

Background: Evidence is lacking concerning re-introduction of feed and water following colic surgery.

Objectives: To describe current approaches of European and American specialists to re-introduction of feed and water in adult horses following surgical treatment of common intestinal lesions, assuming an uncomplicated recovery.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Interim recruitment prediction for multi-center clinical trials.

We introduce a general framework for monitoring, modeling, and predicting the recruitment to multi-center clinical trials. The work is motivated by overly optimistic and narrow prediction intervals produced by existing time-homogeneous recruitment models for multi-center recruitment. We first present two tests for detection of decay in recruitment rates, together with a power study.

Routine HIV testing in acute care hospitals: Changing practice to curb a local HIV epidemic in Vancouver, BC.

Early treatment of HIV infection increases life expectancy and reduces infectivity; however, delayed HIV diagnosis remains common. Implementation and sustainability of hospital-based routine HIV testing in Vancouver, British Columbia, was evaluated to address a local HIV epidemic by facilitating earlier diagnosis and treatment. Public health issued a recommendation in 2011 to offer HIV testing to all patients presenting to three Vancouver hospitals as part of routine care, including all patients admitted to medical/surgical units with expansion to emergency departments (ED).

Stability of hepatitis B viral load during pregnancy and implications for antepartum prophylaxis: A prospective cohort study.

Background: We examined changes in hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral loads (VLs) in pregnancy, their association with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and the associated infant outcomes.

Methods: We prospectively followed 132 mothers positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and their 135 infants from 2011 to 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Outcome measures included association between maternal HBeAg and high (>200,000 IU/mL) or low (≤200,000 IU/mL) HBV VL, changes in HBV VL through pregnancy, infant HBsAg status, and infant completion of the HBV vaccination series.

Serum amyloid A and plasma fibrinogen concentrations in horses following emergency exploratory celiotomy.

Background: Acute-phase proteins may help assess the nature and severity of lesions and outcome in horses undergoing colic surgery.

Objectives: To compare serum amyloid A and plasma fibrinogen concentrations ([SAA] and [fibrinogen]) in the immediate post-operative period after exploratory celiotomy and determine their value in assessment of post-operative complications and survival to discharge.

Study Design: Observational study.

Magic angle effect on low field magnetic resonance images in the superficial digital flexor tendon in the equine proximal pastern region.

Recognition of artefacts is an essential component of the accurate interpretation of diagnostic images. This study aimed to investigate the presence of magic angle effect in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in the equine proximal pastern region. The proximal pastern of four cadaver limbs was imaged using a 0.

Prevalence of HIV infection and acceptability of point-of-care testing in a Canadian inner-city emergency department.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of HIV infection and the acceptability of point-of-care HIV testing in an innercity Canadian emergency department.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in an urban tertiary care emergency department between August 2009 and January 2011. Randomly selected patients were enrolled using probabilistic sampling based on patient volumes.

Technical innovation changes standard radiographic protocols in veterinary medicine: is it necessary to obtain two dorsoproximal-palmarodistal oblique views of the equine foot when using computerised radiography systems?

Since the 1950s, veterinary practitioners have included two separate dorsoproximal-palmarodistal oblique (DPr-PaDiO) radiographs as part of a standard series of the equine foot. One image is obtained to visualise the distal phalanx and the other to visualise the navicular bone. However, rapid development of computed radiography and digital radiography and their post-processing capabilities could mean that this practice is no longer required.

Idiopathic Fibrosis of the Tunica Muscularis of the Large Intestine in Five Horses with Colic.

Histological evidence of fibrosis affecting the outer layer of the large intestinal tunica muscularis was identified in five of 32 horses affected by colic. In three cases, foci of pale eosinophilia and vacuolation of myocytes were observed. These findings are suggestive of a degenerative and fibrotic abnormality in the outer layer of the tunica muscularis of the large intestinal smooth muscle of some horses with colic.

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE OF MELANOMAS IN THE EQUINE HEAD: 13 CASES.

Melanomas are one of the most common neoplasms in the horse and are frequently found in the head region. There is a genetic predisposition in horses with a gray hair coat. Computed tomography (CT) is frequently used in referral practice to evaluate the equine head but there are few reports describing the CT appearance of melanomas in this location.

Implementation of Next-Generation Sequencing for Hepatitis B Virus Resistance Testing and Genotyping in a Clinical Microbiology Laboratory.

Sanger sequencing or DNA hybridization have been the primary modalities for hepatitis B (HBV) resistance testing and genotyping; however, there are limitations, such as low sensitivity and the inability to detect novel mutations. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for HBV can overcome these limitations, but there is limited guidance for clinical microbiology laboratories to validate this novel technology. In this study, we describe an approach to implementing deep pyrosequencing for HBV resistance testing and genotyping in a clinical virology laboratory.