To evaluate the surgical technique and subsequent clinical observations (reproductive and ultrasound findings) of left unilateral ovariectomy in 3 species of Potamotrygon rays-Potamotrygon castexi, ...Potamotrygon leopoldi, and Potamotrygon motoro-for reproductive management.
Between 2018 and 2019, multiple Potamotrygon rays (P castexi, n = 1; P leopoldi, 1; P motoro, 6) underwent left ovariectomies to evaluate this technique for reproductive management.
At time of surgery, patient age ranged from juvenile to adult. Rays were anesthetized with MS222 buffered with sodium bicarbonate, and a left craniodorsal surgical approach was made to isolate and excise the left ovary. All rays had uneventful recoveries. Eight unilateral ovariectomized females and 6 males were combined in a mixed-species freshwater touch pool of Potamotrygon rays and teleost species.
In December 2020, 3 live and 1 premature autolyzed pup were noted in the habitat. The following day, the adult females were examined via ultrasound and separated from the males. Four dams were identified that produced 8 viable offspring and 4 premature abortions. A large right ovary was observed in all females, with no evidence of left ovarian tissue present via ultrasound.
Previous histologic evaluation of freshwater ray ovarian tissue suggests both ovaries may be functionally active yet maintain left dominance like some other elasmobranch species. This manuscript provides proof the right ovary alone can produce live offspring. Furthermore, the enlarged right ovary observed in these females suggests that removal of the left ovary may result in compensatory enlargement of the right ovary.
Hispanic Americans comprise the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority in the USA. In Houston, Texas, 44% of the population is of Hispanic descent, with the majority being Mexican Americans ...(78%). This population is under-represented in health-related research despite their high prevalence of obesity and diabetes, which may predispose them to cancer and other chronic conditions. Recognizing the need for a greater research effort into the health risks of Hispanic Americans, the population-based Mexican American (Mano a Mano) Cohort study was launched in 2001. This is an open cohort with enrolment ongoing to 2019, and as of 30 June 2014, 23 606 adult participants from over 16 600 households were enrolled. Bilingual interviewers elicit information in person on demographics, acculturation, lifestyle, occupation, medical history, family cancer history, self-reported and measured height and weight, and other exposures. Urine, blood and saliva samples have been collected at baseline from 43%, 56% and 63% of participants, respectively. DNA samples are available for about 90% of participants. Incident cancers and other chronic diseases are ascertained through annual telephone re-contact and linkage to the Texas Cancer Registry and/or medical records. Molecular data such as genetic ancestry markers, blood telomere length and HbA1c, a marker of impaired glucose tolerance, are available for a substantial proportion of the participants. Data access is provided on request manoamano@mdanderson.org. For further information please visit www.mano-mano.us.
Objective
Two Cownose Rays Rhinoptera bonasus were presented for management of a severe capsalid monogenean infection Benedeniella posterocolpa in a mixed species habitat at an aquarium.
Methods
A ...series of freshwater (FW) dips were elected to mitigate parasite resistance to praziquantel due to the endemic monogenean population in the system. A pretreatment blood sample was opportunistically obtained, and subsequent samples were processed due to development of clinical signs.
Result
While the first FW dip was tolerated well and did not induce abnormal behavior, the second led to one individual presenting with tachypnea, pallor, and lethargy. Marked hematological abnormalities requiring medical intervention occurred in both individuals after the second dip. After treatment with elasmobranch Ringer's fluid therapy, sodium bicarbonate, prednisolone acetate, and vitamin E/selenium in the more severely affected ray, and elasmobranch Ringer's alone in the second ray, hematologic derangements and symptoms resolved. Hemoconcentration, hyperproteinemia, hyperlactatemia, and hyperglycemia were attributed to a stress response. A selective loss of urea after exposure to FW resulted in decreased plasma osmolality.
Conclusion
Given the severity of the stress response and associated complications observed, hyposalinity treatments should be utilized with caution in this species. If this therapy is employed, the clinician is advised to be prepared to administer supportive care coinciding with the FW dip if necessary.
Impact statement
To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published report documenting variable intolerance and hematologic changes following freshwater dips in Cownose Rays.
A 41‐year‐old male vasectomized, zoo‐housed chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) presented with progressive visual deficits due to bilateral cataract formation. Phacoemulsification and lenticular implant ...were performed by a veterinary and human board‐certified ophthalmologist team in a field setting. Post‐operative healing occurred without complication, and the patient returned to the troop with improved vision.
Between 2012 and 2022, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre sedated 110 harbor seal pups for physical examinations, diagnostic procedures, or treatment. A sedation protocol of ...butorphanol and midazolam (0.1–0.2 mg/kg each) was administered via a single i.v. injection in 171 procedures. Of these, 21 pups were anesthetized only with the injectables, while supplemental isoflurane inhalation anesthesia by mask was provided during 58 procedures; 92 other animals required intubation for respiratory support due to apnea or to achieve a deeper plane of anesthesia to facilitate more invasive procedures. Of the 171 sedations, five were euthanized due to poor prognosis and six failed to recover. Maximum sedation, sufficient for intended procedure or anesthesia induction, was achieved within a mean of 8.5 ± 5.8 min for i.v. injection (n = 133). Sedation duration (drug administration to full recovery) without supplemental inhalation anesthesia had a mean of 30.2 min and ranged from 14 to 52 min (n = 13). When used in stabilized young harbor seals, administration of injectable butorphanol and midazolam proved to be an effective protocol to obtain safe and reliable sedation for physical examination, minimally invasive diagnostic procedures, or as a premedication for general anesthesia.
Purpose
Functional status deficits are important quality of life concerns for older cancer survivors. We examined the prevalence of falls, walking/balance problems, and limitations in activities of ...daily living (ADLs) among older women with a history of endometrial cancer.
Methods
Cancer registry records from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program linked with Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (MHOS) data were used to identify endometrial cancer survivors aged ≥ 65 years who completed a survey ≥ 1 year after their cancer diagnosis (N = 3766), as well as an age- and race-matched group of women without a cancer history (N = 3766). We estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) to compare the prevalence of falls, walking or balance problems, and limitations in ADLs (bathing, dressing, eating, getting in/out of chairs, walking, using the toilet) between groups.
Results
Difficulty with walking or balance was more common among survivors than the noncancer group (43% vs 36%; PR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10–1.27). Fall prevalence was similar between groups (endometrial cancer: 25%; noncancer: 26%; PR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.89–1.08). Nearly half of endometrial cancer survivors (47%) reported at least one ADL limitation, with several activities (getting in/out of a chair, walking, bathing, using the toilet) more often limited among survivors than among women without cancer.
Conclusion
Functional impairments, especially problems with walking and/or balance, are common among older endometrial cancer survivors. Our results highlight the importance of addressing functional problems during the ongoing survivorship care of women with a history of endometrial cancer, with referral to rehabilitation or other relevant services when indicated.
Gastrointestinal tract contrast medium studies are a valuable diagnostic modality to evaluate gastrointestinal anatomy, motility, and pathology. Four positive contrast medium studies were performed ...twice on a harbor seal (
) and once each on two California sea lions (
) to evaluate for gastrointestinal abnormalities by using barium-impregnated gelatin. Because marine mammals in human care routinely receive plain gelatin as a component of their diet and as secondary reinforcement, feeding a barium gelatin mitigates the need for tube feeding or restraint. Operant conditioning was used to position the pinnipeds for voluntary radiographs. The barium gelatin permitted adequate evaluation of gastric emptying and intestinal transit times and good evaluation of the structure of the intestinal tract. Full evaluation of gastric anatomy was limited due to the gelatin blocks not conforming to the stomach in their solid form and the barium quickly exiting the stomach as barium gelatin blocks disintegrated and because orthogonal views could not always be acquired. Even with these limitations, barium gelatin resulted in diagnostically valuable contrast imaging in a stress-free patient setting with reduced risk of aspiration and eliminated the effects that anesthesia can have on gastric motility as well as other anesthesia-associated risks.
Higher levels of oxidative stress, as measured by F2-isoprostanes, have been associated with chronic diseases such as CVD and some cancers. Improvements in diet and physical activity may help reduce ...oxidative stress; however, previous studies regarding associations between lifestyle factors and F2-isoprostane concentrations have been inconsistent. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether physical activity and intakes of fruits/vegetables, antioxidant nutrients, dietary fat subgroups and alcohol are associated with concentrations of F2-isoprostane and the major F2-isoprostane metabolite. Urinary F2-isoprostane and its metabolite were measured in urine samples collected at enrolment from 912 premenopausal women (aged 35-54 years) participating in the Sister Study. Physical activity, alcohol consumption and dietary intakes were self-reported via questionnaires. With adjustment for potential confounders, the geometric means of F2-isoprostane and its metabolite were calculated according to quartiles of dietary intakes, alcohol consumption and physical activity, and linear regression models were used to evaluate trends. Significant inverse associations were found between F2-isoprostane and/or its metabolite and physical activity, vegetables, fruits, vitamin C, α-carotene, vitamin E, β-carotene, vitamin A, Se, lutein+zeaxanthin and long-chain n-3 fatty acids. Although trans fats were positively associated with both F2-isoprostane and its metabolite, other dietary fat subgroups including SFA, n-6 fatty acids, n-3 fatty acids, MUFA, PUFA, short-chain n-3 fatty acids, long-chain n-3 fatty acids and total fat were not associated with either F2-isoprostane or its metabolite. Our findings suggest that lower intake of antioxidant nutrients and higher intake of trans fats may be associated with greater oxidative stress among premenopausal women.
The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) occur in genetically susceptible individuals who mount inappropriate immune responses to their microbiota leading to chronic intestinal inflammation. Whereas IBD ...clinical presentation is well described, how interactions between microbiota and host genotype impact early subclinical stages of the disease remains unclear. The transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A) has been associated with human IBD, and deletion of
in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in mice (
) leads to spontaneous colonic inflammation by 6-12 mo of age. Here, we tested if pathology in
mice begins earlier in life and if microbiota contribute to that process. Longitudinal analysis revealed that
mice reared in specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions develop episodic elevated fecal lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) and loose stools beginning by 4-5 wk of age. Lifetime cumulative Lcn2 levels correlated with histopathological features of colitis at 12 mo. Antibiotic and gnotobiotic tests showed that these phenotypes in
mice were dependent on microbiota. Fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing in SPF
and control mice disclosed that genotype significantly contributed to differences in microbiota composition by 12 mo, and longitudinal analysis of the
mice with the highest lifetime cumulative Lcn2 revealed that microbial community differences emerged early in life when elevated fecal Lcn2 was first detected. These microbiota differences included enrichment of a novel phylogroup of
in
mice. We conclude that HNF4A functions in IEC to shape composition of the gut microbiota and protect against episodic inflammation induced by microbiota throughout the lifespan. IMPORTANCE The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestine, affect millions of people around the world. Although significant advances have been made in the clinical management of IBD, the early subclinical stages of IBD are not well defined and are difficult to study in humans. This work explores the subclinical stages of disease in mice lacking the IBD-associated transcription factor HNF4A in the intestinal epithelium. Whereas these mice do not develop overt disease until late in adulthood, we find that they display episodic intestinal inflammation, loose stools, and microbiota changes beginning in very early life stages. Using germ-free and antibiotic-treatment experiments, we reveal that intestinal inflammation in these mice was dependent on the presence of microbiota. These results suggest that interactions between host genotype and microbiota can drive early subclinical pathologies that precede the overt onset of IBD and describe a mouse model to explore those important processes.
Southern sea otters Enhydra lutris nereis, a threatened marine mammal species, face numerous environmental and infectious disease challenges in their native habitat of coastal California, USA. ...However, there are few published cases describing neoplasia in sea otters despite their relatively long life span when cared for in aquarium settings. An 18 yr old neutered male southern sea otter, born and raised in human care, presented with an acute onset of seizures and dull mentation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head revealed a large, central brain lesion. After no improvement with treatment, euthanasia was elected due to a poor prognosis. Grossly, a poorly demarcated, granular, tan mass expanded the cranial meninges in the longitudinal fissure at the level of the cruciate sulcus and extended into the underlying gray matter and superficial white matter. Histologically, the mass was composed of spindle cells, forming haphazardly arranged interlacing bundles and herringbone patterns, with a high mitotic count, moderate cellular pleomorphism, and prominent vascularization. Neoplastic cells demonstrated positive immunoreactivity for vimentin and negative immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin, factor VIII-related antigen, S100, melan-A, E-cadherin, desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and cytokeratin AE1/AE3. Based on gross, histologic, and immunohistochemical findings, the mass was most consistent with a primary intracranial fibrosarcoma (PIF). PIFs are a rare neoplasm in both humans and other animals with few reports in the veterinary literature. This is the first recorded case of a PIF in a sea otter.
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