Chagas disease is underappreciated as a health concern in the United States. Approximately 40 000 women of childbearing age living in the United States have chronic Chagas disease. Most of them are ...unaware that they have an infection that is transmissible to their offspring. The estimated US maternal-to-infant transmission rate of Trypanosoma cruzi is 1% to 5%. Ten percent to 40% of neonates with congenital T cruzi infection have clinical signs consistent with a congenital infection but no findings are unique to Chagas disease. If left untreated, 20% to 40% of infants with Chagas disease will later develop potentially fatal cardiac manifestations. Molecular testing can confirm the diagnosis in neonates. Treatment is well tolerated in infancy and usually results in cure. Screening of at-risk women during pregnancy can identify maternal infection and allow early assessment and treatment for congenital T cruzi infection.
Toxocariasis, one of a group of parasitic diseases known as neglected parasitic infections, is a disease caused by the larvae of two species of
roundworms,
, from dogs, and less commonly
, from cats. ...Although most infected individuals are asymptomatic, clinical manifestations may include fever, fatigue, coughing, wheezing, or abdominal pain (visceral toxocariasis) or vision loss, retina damage, or eye inflammation (ocular toxocariasis). To assess U.S. pediatrician knowledge of toxocariasis, we conducted an electronic survey of American Academy of Pediatrics members. Of the 2,684 respondents, 1,120 (47%) pediatricians correctly selected toxocariasis as the diagnosis in an unknown case presentation with findings typical for toxocariasis; overall 1,695 (85%) stated they were not confident that their knowledge of toxocariasis was current. This knowledge gap suggests a need for improved toxocariasis awareness and education for U.S. pediatricians, especially those caring for children at risk for infection.
Chagas disease is an emerging health concern in the United States. US health care providers have an unparalleled opportunity to respond to the challenges this infection poses and to provide ...state-of-the-art care for patients with Chagas disease. Most of the approximately 300,000 persons with
infection living in the United States have chronic, asymptomatic infection acquired in endemic regions in Latin America. Congenital infection is often asymptomatic and, even when symptomatic, has no features that distinguish it from other congenitally transmitted infections. Health care providers and the public have limited awareness of this infection. Recognizing risk groups and performing targeted diagnostic testing for at-risk infants, children, and adults are a health priority because early treatment can effect cure and avert the life-threatening cardiac manifestations of Chagas disease. Two medications for treatment, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although challenges exist, informed health care providers can greatly reduce the effects of Chagas disease in the United States.
This study examines the occurrence of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) song in the northeast Pacific from three years of continuous recordings off central California (36.713°N, 122.186°W). ...Song is prevalent in this feeding and migratory habitat, spanning nine months of the year (September-May), peaking in winter (November-January), and reaching a maximum of 86% temporal coverage (during November 2017). From the rise of song in fall through the end of peak occurrence in winter, song length increases significantly from month to month. The seasonal peak in song coincides with the seasonal trough in day length and sighting-based evidence of whales leaving Monterey Bay, consistent with seasonal migration. During the seasonal song peak, diel variation shows maximum occurrence at night (69% of the time), decreasing during dawn and dusk (52%), and further decreasing with increasing solar elevation during the day, reaching a minimum near solar noon (30%). Song occurrence increased 44% and 55% between successive years. Sighting data within the acoustic detection range of the hydrophone indicate that variation in local population density was an unlikely cause of this large interannual variation. Hydrographic data and modeling of acoustic transmission indicate that changes in neither habitat occupancy nor acoustic transmission were probable causes. Conversely, the positive interannual trend in song paralleled major ecosystem variations, including similarly large positive trends in wind-driven upwelling, primary productivity, and krill abundance. Further, the lowest song occurrence during the first year coincided with anomalously warm ocean temperatures and an extremely toxic harmful algal bloom that affected whales and other marine mammals in the region. These major ecosystem variations may have influenced the health and behavior of humpback whales during the study period.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Air-breathing marine predators must balance the conflicting demands of oxygen conservation during breath-hold and the cost of diving and locomotion to capture prey. However, it remains poorly ...understood how predators modulate foraging performance when feeding at different depths and in response to changes in prey distribution and type. Here, we used high-resolution multi-sensor tags attached to Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) and concurrent prey surveys to quantify their foraging performance over a range of depths and prey types. Dolphins (N = 33) foraged in shallow and deep habitats seabed depths less or more than 560 m, respectively and within the deep habitat, in vertically stratified prey features occurring at several aggregation levels. Generalized linear mixed-effects models indicated that dive kinematics were driven by foraging depth rather than habitat. Bottom-phase duration and number of buzzes (attempts to capture prey) per dive increased with depth. In deep dives, dolphins were gliding for >50% of descent and adopted higher pitch angles both during descent and ascents, which was likely to reduce energetic cost of longer transits. This lower cost of transit was counteracted by the record of highest vertical swim speeds, rolling maneuvers and stroke rates at depth, together with a 4-fold increase in the inter-buzz interval (IBI), suggesting higher costs of pursuing, and handling prey compared to shallow-water feeding. In spite of the increased capture effort at depth, dolphins managed to keep their estimated overall metabolic rate comparable across dive types. This indicates that adjustments in swimming modes may enable energy balance in deeper dives. If we think of the surface as a central place where divers return to breathe, our data match predictions that central place foragers should increase the number and likely quality of prey items at greater distances. These dolphins forage efficiently from near-shore benthic communities to depth-stratified scattering layers, enabling them to maximize their fitness.
In 1999, the Federal Government sued the tobacco companies in an attempt to recover expenses used to treat diseases caused by smoking. The 2006 verdict required the dissemination of corrective ...statements intended to inform the public of the dangers of smoking. This study analyzes smokers' perceptions of these statements. Statements were tested from November 5 to December 5, 2007. Results indicate: (1) messages created by public health intervenors and tobacco companies tended to have higher mean scores than those created by the DOJ, (2) statements on nicotine being addictive had significantly higher mean scores than the other two sets tested, (3) that all statements were rated higher in terms of believability than in terms of other factors, and (4) light smokers rated statements higher in terms of motivating and likelihood to quit than did medium or heavy smokers. These results will be used to refine the development of corrective statements.
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