Antitumor necrosis factor-α antibodies are increasingly being used for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) complicating allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We ...retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of 16 patients with refractory acute predominantly visceral GVHD treated with combination antithymocyte globulin (ATG), tacrolimus and etanercept +/− mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) at our institution. Overall response rate (CR+PR) was 81%, with median survival post commencing salvage immunosuppression 224 days (range 20–1216 days). In total, eight patients (50%) died, including from progressive GVHD in two cases (13%), infection in five (31%) and relapse of underlying malignancy in one (6%). In comparison to our previous experience of ATG+tacrolimus as treatment for refractory visceral GVHD, both response rate and overall survival were improved with addition of etanercept, with no apparent increase in infectious complications. As such, use of etanercept in combination with ATG +/− MMF for treatment of steroid refractory acute GVHD appears to be associated with high response rates, significant survival and no unexpected toxicity. Further study of this immunosuppression combination in a larger cohort of patients in this setting is indicated.
Artificial insemination (AI) is the least invasive assisted reproductive technology, and is therefore of great interest to breeders of companion animals, non-domestic, and endangered species ...(CANDES). This most fundamental artificial breeding technique circumvents physical or behavioral impediments to natural mating and provides the means for genetic exchange between populations without transfer of live animals. In addition, because oocytes grow, mature and are fertilized in vivo and embryos are not subjected to in vitro culture conditions, AI eliminates the epigenetic effects on the female gamete that are inherent in more invasive assisted reproductive technologies. Although the management of CANDES differs significantly from current livestock husbandry practices, the cattle industry is a powerful example of the potential for AI to enhance the genetic health and sustainability of animal populations. Ultimately, successful AI requires sperm of adequate quality and quantity, oocytes that have attained nuclear maturation and cytoplasmic competence, operational gamete transport systems, accurate timing, and proper placement of sperm in the female reproductive tract. Increased understanding of semen collection, evaluation and preservation techniques, estrus synchronization and superovulation, estrus and ovulation detection, and insemination instrumentation is needed for each CANDES before AI success rates will approach those of the livestock industry. Concentrated, collaborative research in these areas must be encouraged among private breeders, universities and zoological institutions to realize the full potential of AI in the management of CANDES.
Although rapid eye movement sleep (REM) is regularly implicated in emotional memory consolidation, the role of slow-wave sleep (SWS) in this process is largely uncharacterized. In the present study, ...we investigated the relative impacts of nocturnal SWS and REM upon the consolidation of emotional memories using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and polysomnography (PSG). Participants encoded emotionally positive, negative, and neutral images (remote memories) before a night of PSG-monitored sleep. Twenty-four hours later, they encoded a second set of images (recent memories) immediately before a recognition test in an MRI scanner. SWS predicted superior memory for remote negative images and a reduction in right hippocampal responses during the recollection of these items. REM, however, predicted an overnight increase in hippocampal-neocortical connectivity associated with negative remote memory. These findings provide physiological support for sequential views of sleep-dependent memory processing, demonstrating that SWS and REM serve distinct but complementary functions in consolidation. Furthermore, these findings extend those ideas to emotional memory by showing that, once selectively reorganized away from the hippocampus during SWS, emotionally aversive representations undergo a comparably targeted process during subsequent REM.
Highlights • Captive-born female southern white rhinoceros (SWR) exhibit poor fertility. • We investigated whether developmental exposure to phytoestrogens is a potential cause. • Many components of ...captive SWR diets are estrogenic. • We found a significant negative correlation between diet estrogenicity and fertility of captive-born female SWR. • Our data suggest feeding low phytoestrogen diets to SWR should be strongly considered.
In this work, the performance of a-C:H films produced by the hybrid Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation and Deposition technique as lubricating layers for a steel forming tool has been investigated. ...Hardened steel (AISI M2, 64 HRC) plates coated with a commercial TiN layer were used as substrates and the films were deposited in a vacuum chamber fitted with two parallel-plate electrodes. The discharges were generated in atmospheres composed of 91% C2H2 and 9% Ar by the application of radiofrequency power (13.56 MHz, 100 W) to the upper electrode while the lower one, also used as the sample holder, was biased with high voltage negative pulses (3.6 kV, 30 μs, 300 Hz). A deposition time of 840 s was used. The effects of the gas pressure, p, on thickness, molecular structure, wettability, surface morphology and topography, hardness and friction coefficient of the films were investigated. Film thickness increased from 0.3 to 0.5 μm when p was increased from 2.7 to 16.5 Pa. Generally, the films were slightly hydrophilic, with contact angles of around 84°, and the deposition decreased the roughness of the steel. A polymer-like structure was detected in high pressure depositions and an amorphous carbon structure derived from the low pressure procedures. Hardness decreased from 8.2 to 7.0 GPa with increasing p. Improvement in tribological performance was indicated by the fall in the friction coefficient from 0.5 to 0.2 as the deposition pressure was reduced. Operating at the latter value (of μ) would lead to a significant reduction in wear and hence to significant economy in diverse industrial applications.
Animal keepers at zoos and wildlife rescue centers often possess in‐depth knowledge of the health and behavior of the individuals under their care. While it is often not feasible for keepers to ...regularly collect behavior data through formal scientific methods, efforts should be made to find alternative means to capture this knowledge. We investigated the use of keeper feedback to study the behavior of sloth bears at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility (ABRF; Agra, India). We prepared a survey with 5 questions focused on behaviors indicative of playfulness, boldness, aggressiveness, and the tendency to express self‐directed behaviors (SDB). We asked keepers to rate bears on a Likert scale from 1 (least likely to exhibit a behavior) to 5 (most likely) for 44 adult female bears (5–21 years of age). We validated this method by comparing keeper ratings of SDB with formal behavior observations, finding that time of day had an influence on the accuracy of keeper assessments. We found a significant negative correlation between housing bears in larger groups (>15) and SDB. In addition, we correlated ratings given by keepers for all study behaviors. Social play had significant negative correlation with aggression toward people. There was no correlation between social play and aggression toward other bears, possibly due to the existence of cohesive social groups in group housing or high dimensionality of the data. We found that keeper feedback is an efficient tool to gather behavior data on captive sloth bears and recommend its use in future studies.
This paper describes a new plasma treatment method: the plasma expander. In this approach, expanding shock waves are generated in a vacuum chamber by pulsed plasmas. Collisions of fast species in the ...waves modify the properties of solid surfaces exposed to the plasma. The degree of such modification is governed by the energy delivered by the plasma exposure. To confirm the efficacy of this approach, modifications induced in the properties of thin polymer films produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition by exposure to nitrogen plasma shock waves were investigated. The films were prepared from benzene radio frequency plasmas and subsequently exposed to different quantities of nitrogen shock waves Nw . The effects of Nw on the wettability, molecular structure, and mechanical properties of the films were studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that greater Nw resulted in the loss of C-H groups and the rupture of benzene aromatic rings observed in the structure of the as-deposited films. Furthermore, the contact angle strongly increased and the hardness, evaluated by nanoindentation, increased up to fourfold with the increase in the intensity of the treatment.
As part of a previously reported trial comparing granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulated bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in allogeneic stem cell transplantation, ...we included a questionnaire to compare donor morbidity and long-term complications between the two donation procedures. Bone marrow donation was associated with significantly more donors experiencing localized pain at the donation site compared to PBSC collection. However, this was not associated with any increased delay in returning to normal activity. Although a minority of bone marrow donors suffered chronic pain at the donation site, no serious long-term side effects relating to G-CSF stimulated stem cell donation were identified.
Recently, California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) have been reintroduced to coastal regions of California where they feed on marine mammal carcasses. There is evidence that coastal-dwelling ...condors experience reproductive issues, such as eggshell thinning, likely resulting from exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). To address this problem, we have identified and cloned condor estrogen receptors (ESRs) 1 and 2 and characterized their activation by EDCs present in the coastal habitats where condors reside. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites all activated ESR1 and ESR2, although their relative potency differed between the receptors. Bisphenol A, dieldrin, trans-nonachlor, and polychlorinated biphenyl 52 (PCB52) moderately activated both ESRs, whereas PCB138 and PCB153 stimulated little to no activation. Overall, EDC activation of condor ESR2, which is the first ESR2 cloned from a raptor species, was greater than that of ESR1. Significant activation of both condor ESRs by EDCs occurred at high concentrations (≥1μM), which are within the range of plasma levels of certain EDCs (eg, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene p'p-DDE) in coastal-dwelling condors. Finally, phylogenetic analyses of ESRs of 41 avian species identified a single amino acid position in ESR2 under positive selection. Mutation of this amino acid affected receptor activation by EDCs, suggesting the identity of this amino acid may influence EDC sensitivity of avian species. Together, these findings broaden our understanding of EDC interactions with ESRs in avian species. For condors specifically, these data could be used to evaluate EDC exposure risk at future release sites to identify those least likely to compromise the continued recovery of this species.
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