Background. Previous prospective studies of bacteremia in African children with severe malaria have mainly included children with cerebral malaria, and no study has examined the impact of human ...immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We examined the prevalence and etiology of bacteremia and the impact of HIV infection on bacteremia in Malawian children with severe malaria, as well as the impact of bacteremia and HIV infection on outcome. Methods. From 1996 until 2005, blood for culture was obtained on admission from all children admitted with severe malaria during the rainy season to the Paediatric Research Ward at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. HIV testing was performed prospectively from 2001 to 2005 and retrospectively for those admitted from 1996 to 2000. Multivariate regression analysis examined independent risk factors for bacteremia and death. Results. Sixty-four (4.6%) of 1388 children with severe malaria had bacteremia; nontyphoidal Salmonellae (NTS) accounted for 58% of all bacteremias. The prevalence of any bacteremia and of NTS bacteremia was highest in children with severe malarial anemia (11.7% and 7.6%), compared with the prevalence in children with cerebral malaria and severe anemia (4.7% and 3.8%) and in those with cerebral malaria alone (3.0% and 0.9%). HIV infection status was determined in 1119 patients. HIV prevalence was 16% (and was highest in those with severe malaria anemia, at 20.4%), but HIV infection was not significantly associated with bacteremia. Neither bacteremia nor HIV infection was associated with death. Conclusions. Antibiotics are not routinely indicated for children with severe malaria in this region, in which HIV is endemic. However, antibiotic therapy should be used to treat NTS infection if bacteremia is suspected in children with severe malarial anemia.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Nontyphoidal Salmonellae commonly cause invasive disease in African children that is often fatal. The clinical diagnosis of these infections is hampered by the absence of a clear clinical syndrome. ...Drug resistance means that empirical antibiotic therapy is often ineffective and currently no vaccine is available. The study objective was to identify risk factors for mortality among children presenting to hospital with invasive Salmonella disease in Africa. We conducted a prospective study enrolling consecutive children with microbiologically-confirmed invasive Salmonella disease admitted to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, in 2006. Data on clinical presentation, co-morbidities and outcome were used to identify children at risk of inpatient mortality through logistic-regression modeling. Over one calendar year, 263 consecutive children presented with invasive Salmonella disease. Median age was 16 months (range 0-15 years) and 52/256 children (20%; 95%CI 15-25%) died. Nontyphoidal serovars caused 248/263 (94%) of cases. 211/259 (81%) of isolates were multi-drug resistant. 251/263 children presented with bacteremia, 6 with meningitis and 6 with both. Respiratory symptoms were present in 184/240 (77%; 95%CI 71-82%), 123/240 (51%; 95%CI 45-58%) had gastrointestinal symptoms and 101/240 (42%; 95%CI 36-49%) had an overlapping clinical syndrome. Presentation at <7 months (OR 10.0; 95%CI 2.8-35.1), dyspnea (OR 4.2; 95%CI 1.5-12.0) and HIV infection (OR 3.3; 95%CI 1.1-10.2) were independent risk factors for inpatient mortality. Invasive Salmonella disease in Malawi is characterized by high mortality and prevalence of multi-drug resistant isolates, along with non-specific presentation. Young infants, children with dyspnea and HIV-infected children bear a disproportionate burden of the Salmonella-associated mortality in Malawi. Strategies to improve prevention, diagnosis and management of invasive Salmonella disease should be targeted at these children.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hatcheries are vital to many salmon fisheries, with inherent risks and rewards. While hatcheries can increase the returns of adult fish, the demographic and evolutionary consequences for natural ...populations interacting with hatchery fish on spawning grounds remain unclear. This study examined the impacts of stray hatchery-origin pink salmon on natural population productivity and resilience. We explored temporal assortative mating dynamics using a quantitative genetic model that assumed the only difference between hatchery- and natural-origin adults was their return timing to natural spawning grounds. This model was parameterized with empirical data from an intensive multi-generational study of hatchery–wild interactions in the world’s largest pink salmon fisheries enhancement program located in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Across scenarios of increasing hatchery fish presence on spawning grounds, our findings underscore a trade-off between demographic enhancement and preservation of natural population diversity. While enhancement bolstered natural population sizes towards local carrying capacities, hatchery introgression reduced variation in adult return timing by up to 20%. Results indicated that hatchery-origin alleles can rapidly assimilate into natural populations, despite the reduced fitness of hatchery fish attributable to phenotypic mismatches. These findings elucidate the potential for long-term demographic and evolutionary consequences arising from specific hatchery–wild interactions, emphasizing the need for management strategies that balance demographic enhancement with the conservation of natural diversity.
The problem of zero crossings is of great historical prevalence and promises extensive application. The challenge is to establish precisely how the autocorrelation function or power spectrum of a ...one-dimensional continuous random process determines the density function of the intervals between the zero crossings of that process. This paper investigates the case where periodicities are incorporated into the autocorrelation function of a smooth process. Numerical simulations, and statistics about the number of crossings in a fixed interval, reveal that in this case the zero crossings segue between a random and deterministic point process depending on the relative time scales of the periodic and nonperiodic components of the autocorrelation function. By considering the Laplace transform of the density function, we show that incorporating correlation between successive intervals is essential to obtaining accurate results for the interval variance. The same method enables prediction of the density function tail in some regions, and we suggest approaches for extending this to cover all regions. In an ever-more complex world, the potential applications for this scale of regularity in a random process are far reaching and powerful.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to understand which factors and resources free-range egg consumers believe are important for hen welfare.
Design/methodology/approach
– An online survey was ...distributed via the mailing list of a UK free-range egg brand receiving 6,378 responses. The survey was mostly five-point Likert-scale based. The same survey was also distributed to a group of animal welfare specialists receiving 34 responses.
Findings
– Respondents bought free-range eggs because hens are “happier” (74.2 per cent) and “healthier” (69.0 per cent) and because they believed such eggs to taste better (57.9 per cent). They rated all the suggested factors that might contribute to hen welfare as “important” or “very important” (on average) but believed outside access and fresh air to be most important. Respondents rated the suitability of resources relating to behavioural needs high (“suitable” or “very suitable”) indoors and shelter as the most suitable outdoors. Consumers differed from welfare specialists in their views on factors contributing to hen welfare, but their views on resource suitability were similar.
Research limitations/implications
– The sample was biased towards free-range egg consumers who had expressed an interest in a brand marketed as high welfare.
Originality/value
– This is the first study to ask consumers what they consider to be important for hen welfare and how they think hen welfare can be improved. Because consumers can affect on-farm welfare through their purchasing habits assessing the degree of agreement between consumers and animal welfare specialists is important.
•There is a lack of prospective level I evidence for the use of PBT for most adult cancers including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).•TORPEdO is the UK’s first PBT clinical trial and ...aims to determine the benefits of PBT for OPSCC.•Training and support has been provided before and during the trial to reduce variations of contouring and radiotherapy planning.•There is a strong translational component within TORPEdO. Imaging and physics data along with blood, tissue collection will inform future studies in refining patient selection for IMPT.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Distinguishing between a primary psychotic disorder with concurrent substance abuse (PPD+SA) and a substance-induced psychotic disorder (SIPD) can be diagnostically challenging. We aimed to determine ...if these two diagnoses are clinically distinct, particularly in relation to psychopathology. In addition, we aimed to examine the specific clinical features of cannabis-induced psychotic disorder (CIPD) as compared to primary psychotic disorder with concurrent cannabis abuse (PPD+CA) and also to SIPD associated with any substance.
A systematic review of SIPD literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Using strict inclusion criteria, a total of six studies examining SIPD were included in the review (two of which only considered psychosis induced by cannabis alone). The findings did not reveal many consistent differences in psychopathology. However, we did find that that compared to PPD+SA, individuals with SIPD have a weaker family history of psychotic disorder; a greater degree of insight; fewer positive symptoms and fewer negative symptoms; more depression (only in CIPD) and more anxiety.
There remains a striking paucity of information on the psychopathology, clinical characteristics and outcome of SIPD. Our review highlights the need for further research in this area.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Alaska’s Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations have declined in size at age and age at maturity over the past 30 years, and productivity and adult abundance have decreased during the ...past decade. Chinook salmon scale age data are used to understand population demography, but methods for scale age estimation may have changed over time and may differ across the state. To begin addressing this, we examined variability and bias associated with age estimates from 10,200 scales, one scale per fish, from five Chinook salmon stocks (Stikine, Copper, Karluk, Nushagak, and Kuskokwim rivers), 1980–2015. This set of scales had an original assigned age, and, from this study, ages estimated by 10 participants (readers) with a range of experience. Variability was assessed using standard deviation (SD) of reader age estimations. We compared SD among stocks, marine ages, time periods (1980–1992, 1993–2005, and 2006–2015), and reader experience. Standard deviation increased by 0.014 for each 10.0 mm difference in fish length from expected length at age. Standard deviation differed among marine ages, with marine age-1 and age-5 scales having 155% and 188% of the variability of marine age-3 scales. Standard deviation did not differ among stocks or time periods. Reader bias was the percentage of scales over or underestimated relative to the median age assignment of 10 readers (the best approximation to known age). Reader bias differed among marine ages with the oldest ages tending to be overestimated and the youngest ages tending to be underestimated. Reader bias decreased with reader experience and was not different among stocks, time periods, or between familiar (those previously examined by a reader) and unfamiliar (new to the reader) stocks. Original ages were underestimated by 3% and overestimated by 9%. Bias in original ages did not differ among stocks, time periods, or marine ages. We provide recommendations, based on our results, for improving the quality of Chinook salmon scale age estimates in the future.
•Variability in Chinook salmon scale age estimates decreases with greater marine age.•Scale readers tend to assign dominant age classes.•Scale patterns by age are comparable across stocks with the stream-type life history.•Stock-specific training is not essential for consistent age estimates among stocks.•Experience decreases bias and variability in Chinook salmon scale ages.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The productivity of Bristol Bay, Alaska, Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka increased during the mid-1970s. This increase is believed to be partially due to an increase in early marine growth ...associated with the 1976–1977 cool-to-warm shift in summer sea surface temperature (SST). The body size of juvenile salmon during their first year at sea is believed to regulate their ability to survive over winter. The back-calculated smolt length, first-year ocean growth, and total juvenile length of Sockeye Salmon from five Bristol Bay river systems (Egegik, Kvichak, Naknek, Ugashik, and Wood) and two smolt ages were used to examine trends and factors influencing total juvenile length, compensatory growth, and size-selective mortality in the first year in the ocean from 1962 to 2007. Juvenile length increased in relation to summer sea temperature, the 1977–2001 and 2002–2007 warm temperature regimes, smolt length, and compensatory growth. Compensatory growth—an inverse relationship between first-year ocean growth and smolt size—increased over time as well as after the 1976–1977 climate regime shift, was more common in age-1.0 fish than in age-2.0 juveniles, and was important in determining the length of juvenile Sockeye Salmon from the Wood River (the shorter fish among rivers and smolt ages). The coefficient of variation in length did not change with SST, suggesting that size-selective mortality occurred prior to the end of the first year at sea for all 10 fish groups. The predictor variables that were significant in the models varied among river systems and smolt ages. This study demonstrated that the frequency of compensatory growth and the total lengths of juvenile Sockeye Salmon during their first year at sea increased with summer SST (range, 7.5–10.5°C) in the eastern Bering Sea, a possible mechanism for the increased productivity of Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon associated with warmer sea temperatures.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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